I am The Queen
by Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto
Summary: Generations passed, and the Spades' first male Queen was chosen not amongst the aristocrats, but amongst the merchants. Arthur Kirkland shall take on this title as he dives into the hated world of royalties that are born into the War of Colors. Cardverse USUK and some other pairings.
1. Queen Arthur of Spades

Hi again! It's me, Rei Haruno, reporting for duty! Hahah, I'll post another AU story for Hetalia— and not just any kind of AU, IT'S CARDVERSE! Some things will be twisted since I will be implying some of my headcanons for this AU and the characters themselves. This will be centered in my favorite kingdom, Kingdom of Spades… and on the life that the male queen had to endure. Happy reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

**Summary:** Generations passed, and the Spades' first male Queen was chosen not amongst the aristocrats, but amongst the merchants. Arthur Kirkland shall take on this title as he dives into the hated world of royalties that are born into the War of Colors. Cardverse USUK and some other pairings.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Heels clicked against the floor as the new queen walked along the halls with his maidens. His long flowing coat flew as the wind constantly kept it and the curtains afloat. It was a windy day in Spades as the citizens met the newly chosen queen of the kingdom.

"_Are they mad? They chose a man." "The oracles should have gotten it wrong. There's no way a man could be queen." "Let them be. It will be their responsibility if our kingdom was turned into dust." "It makes perfect sense! They needed soldiers to become royalties! They are losing the war!" "We are losing the war!"_

Those were the chatters that were left in Arthur Kirkland's mind as he walked across the halls of the castle. A lot have disagreed of his coronation because of his gender, and a lot had blamed him and his family business.

But it was not like the oracles cared if he was a silk merchant like his brothers, who captured the hearts of the aristocrats with their crafts. The oracles did not care if he was just a nineteen-year-old that was just starting to get comfortable with his life. The oracles did not care if he knew nothing about the royalties and their ceremonies. The oracles did not care if he was born male.

All they cared for was it was him. He was chosen.

He was chosen by their highest power, but why wasn't he happy? If it was in another time, Arthur would be happy to be a royalty: Free food, huge home, no business, no silk to vend. Everything he was working for would have been for free and well taken care of by others. But no, it was the worst time to become a royalty. It was during the War of Colors, and no one wanted to be a royalty during the War of Colors.

The War of Colors was the time when the four grand kingdoms of Suit wage endless wars against one another. It was hellfire brought upon land, burning everyone who dared and not dared step on it. There were these shaky alliances, indefinite enemies, and endless rebellions and revolutions among the kingdoms. It was a golden time of nothing but bloodbath and death toll.

However, the Kingdom of Spades had stood tall and proud, not being reformatted by rebellions and uprisings. It was the kingdom of power, where everything was about influence, knowledge and evil. It was the darkest among the kingdoms, light shed was light eaten. But that didn't stop the citizens to become happy. It was not like everyone was a royalty to become part of the foundation of the kingdom's dogma.

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno— Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 1: Queen Arthur of Spades**

…

"Your Highness, the Queen, we will be attending to you in another few minutes. We have two maids on stand-by outside if ever you need anything. There will be two guards posted outside the doors. We will take our leave." The highest among the maids spoke continuously and monotonously before leaving with the crowd.

It was a long, hard day already for Arthur, yet it was nothing close to midday. It was the first day that he was in the castle as the crowned queen. Yesterday, he was just a merchant summoned by the highest present authority, the Archbishop of Spades.

Arthur lied down the humongous bed where he was seated, not bothering to remove his coat and his hat. He closed his eyes, remembering that night when the guards came crashing to their house, ravaging the factory as if Arthur was a spy— which was way worse than the worst criminals that they ever executed. He could remember the screaming and the groaning of his brothers who tried to protect him from being taken. He could hear the screams of his bed-ridden mother who almost crawled out of her bed that night.

Perhaps, he should have been treated better. He was the chosen queen. But he was a merchant, not an aristocrat; that made the biggest difference.

"This is interesting: a male queen."

A voice rang through Arthur's ears, making him jerk up and fling around in panic. He had his eyes gaze around the majestic room, examining all the expensive and rather antique fixtures in the queen's room. Everything was dark and bluish, the drawn heavy curtains covering the room from the slightest shed of light.

Arthur got up to the window and drew the curtains, letting white sip through the cloth barring. That was when he saw a dark figure standing in front of him. It had silver hair, blood-red eyes, and a menacing smirk. Its clothing was tainted with black, making him mix well with the darkness of the room.

However, the curtains felt heavier, and they escaped Arthur's hand to cover the light again. Once again, it was dark, Arthur backing up against the wall. That was when he noticed that the ticking clock was not ticking. He reached out to push a vase off the pedestal, yet it did not budge. A helpless sigh escaped his lips before a weird ball of fire appeared before him.

"Why don't you scream for the guards, Queen of Spades?" The voice came again as the dark figure showed itself through the ball of fire that was resting on its hand. Arthur stared at it before frowning, "What are you?"

"That's rude, Queen Arthur. Aren't you supposed to ask _who_ I am before _what_ I am?" The figure chuckled as it reached the fire closer to the queen's face, the ball of light red reflecting on the queen's emerald eyes.

"Will that even make a difference?"

"What did they see in you?" The figure's voice trailed as it swayed its arm, summoning more balls of fire to better the lighting. It did a curtsey, chuckling in a menacing, yet delighted voice, "I am the Joker of the Black Suits! You can call me Gilbert." He straightened and twirled, "I am the deliverer of a royalty's death!"

"I just got crowned. Now, I'm dying?" Arthur frowned more, becoming unenthusiastic about the other being's presence.

"Ah, no. You see, I show up twice before a royalty. One, to remind them that they will die as a royalty, and two, to harvest their souls from the land of the living. If I don't show up in front of a royalty, then that royalty is either not truly chosen by their oracles or will not die as a royalty—"

"We can stop being royals?"

"…On special occasions, yeah. But you just got crowned."

"What? You don't know that I'm not supposed to be queen? First of all, I'm no woman. Second, I'm no aristocrat. Third, I'm… I'm no one. How am I queen? More importantly, Queen of Spades in the War of Colors?"

"Only the oracles know why you're queen. Anyway, I have to take my leave. I just came here to visit the male Queen of Spades. The first one at that. This is very intriguing. Off I go!"

And with that, the Joker of the Black Suits mystically disappeared in a blink of an eye. Arthur frowned at the scenery, once again hearing the ticking of the clock. He drew the curtains and left them halfway, only to see that they did not move back like how they did before. Also, the light from the midday sky gave Arthur the chance to spot a note lying on where the Joker should have been.

_To the Queen of Spades, only time can tell why you were chosen, and what you are to do in the malevolent war in the land of Suits. I see a great power inside you, and you will cause a revolution. Seek protection under the arms of the sturdiest wall, for this power you have will be dreaded more than the war. I will see you soon. Until then…_

"A revolution worse than the war…"

Arthur sat down on the bed again, soon lying on the same spot he was before. It was only the first midday he was queen… yet catastrophe already shrouded his path to the future days. Restlessness and fatigue battled in him, soon making him drift into unconsciousness.

'_A revolution worse than the war… I wonder what I will bring upon this kingdom…'_

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.

Arthur could feel fingers stroking against his face. Soon, he could feel his body curled while lying on his side. His arms could feel something warm against it, and his toes free from the frame of his leather boots. His eyes slowly opened, revealing a person smiling next to him. It was his hand that was touching his face, and it was his bare chest that Arthur's hands were touching.

Wait, bare chest? The emerald orbs wandered from the other's smiling face to his body, and, apparently, he was shirtless in the same bed Arthur was lying on. The queen pulled back, soon finding out that he was stripped down to his shirt, pants and socks. He almost swung away, but the man held his wrist and pulled him towards his body. Arthur gasped at the strength the other man had, and at the fact that he was now pressed more against the other.

The other man continued smiling, "Hm, now that you're awake, tell me…"

He tightened his grip on Arthur's wrist, "Who are you? What are you doing in this room?"

Arthur's eyes widened at the sudden pressure gripping his wrist. However, he was able to take his hand back before rolling off the bed. Landing badly on the floor, he sat up and dragged himself towards the wall, "I-I'm—!"

The other man rolled off the bed as well, soon standing up swinging a sword around as if conditioning his arms to cut the new queen, "Who?"

"I! I'm!" Arthur held his sore wrist as if it was life itself, "I'm the Queen of Spades! Bow down before me!"

"Are you kidding? The Queen of Spades was already dead two weeks ago. And I'm pretty sure you're a man." The other man took steps closer, brandishing the sword more.

Arthur could see the crest of Spades on the sword he was swinging by then. His helpless voice cracked, "Good lord, you're the king. Your Majesty—!"

It was him: King Alfred of Spades. The youngest among the kings and the bravest of them all. He had his ventures of defeating Hearts on their conquest earlier on the War of Colors— as well as pushing back Diamonds from their posts nearby the borders of Spades. He was chosen as the King five years ago, and the kingdom knew nothing greater than him and his name.

Alfred swung the sword for the last time before having it pierced through the wall, brushing against Arthur's golden blonde locks. Alfred then kneeled before the trembling queen, "Now, now, let's take the truth out of you. Who are you, and why are you here?"

"I— I—" Arthur cried as the intimidating aura of the king began to eat him from inside. His malevolent gaze piercing through his soul was one thing, while the other one could have been the sword resting beside him. He couldn't escape; all he said was considered a lie.

"Who are you? And… and…" The king's gaze broke off from those emerald eyes and pinned to his trembling lips, and soon to his pumping chest. The vacant hand traced a finger from Arthur's face down to the collar of his shirt, only to start popping the buttons open as his fingers forced its path down. The emerald eyes could only watch the other's movements, Arthur's throat gulping down saliva.

With his shirt open, the vacant hand started groping the other's flat chest, causing the king to have this mischievous smirk on his face. His vacant hand then grabbed the other's chin, and he leaned closer to kiss the trembling blond. Arthur's tensed body mellowed through the kiss, as well as the king's hold on the sword.

Leaving him with an opening.

Arthur suddenly grabbed the king's shoulder, biting the other's lower lip hardly. The king tried to pull back, but Arthur trampled both of them over, trying to pin the king down as he bit his lips. Alfred grabbed Arthur's hair and tried to pull him off oh him, causing the queen to bite harder.

"KING ALFRED! THERE'S SOMETHING—!" Someone burst through the door along with some of the maidens that Arthur walked with. However, they all froze as they saw the predicament both royalties were going through.

That was when Arthur flicked the king's hand off his hair and crawled towards the one who burst, "Help me! He's going to kill me!" Alfred then swung to grab the queen's leg, "Hey! Wait!" Arthur screamed as he got held back, only to kick the king in his face, "I don't fucking care if you're the king! Let me go!"

"You— You kicked my face!" Alfred screamed back after consoling his face for a while, only to lunge at his sword to pull it out. Arthur managed to lunge at the man who burst, unsheathed his sword, and stood there trying to wield a weapon he never held while wearing a maniacal expression, "What!? Wanna go, king!? Come on, FIGHT ME!"

"Queen Arthur, put the sword down!" The head maiden screamed as the girls started to panic.

Alfred twitched and sighed, soon wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. The man who burst in tried to go to the queen but Arthur started swinging the sword miserably. He then charged towards the king, but Alfred only dodged him and let Arthur crash towards the drawers, hurting himself more than he should have.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"I'm sorry. I didn't know they crowned a new queen while we were out there on the frontlines." Alfred chuckled as he stroked at the Queen's head. The two royalties were sharing the bed for the night even against Arthur's will. It seemed that the King just wanted to stay so he could apologize for terrorizing the Queen. Almost knowing the four previous Queens that came and mysteriously died under his reign, he thought he should do so. However, Arthur wasn't frightened anymore after knowing the mistake- only pissed by the stupidity of the great King. And by then, they lied on their sides next to each other: Alfred trying to soothe the Queen, and Arthur turning his back to the King.

"Ah, enough, my King. I already accepted your apology hours ago. Now go back and leave me on my own to sleep." The Queen grouchily answered, using a hand to softly touch the King's hand instead of flicking it roughly like what he would have done if it was someone else.

"No need to be so distant, my new Queen." Alfred took the hand and led it to his lips to kiss. Arthur pulled his hand away before whispering, "Listen, my King. I'm not yet accustomed to your touching and rendered very close distance. Will you just leave? I will be fine on my own."

"No, you listen, Arthur." Alfred's tone changed as he got up from lying down, "I'm not used to soothing another man either. But as King, I had to emotionally cater to my Queen." He then flopped back down, "It's also tiring to keep up the King atmosphere as well."

Arthur rolled to his other side to face the other blond, "I've always thought that you were always like that, my King."

Alfred turned to him as the Queen spoke in a different tone as well, seeing his emerald eyes glistening naturally in his direction. The King then suddenly flung towards the other, latching his arm around the other's waist and pulling him near once again. He then started smothering himself with the other's fringe.

The Queen's eyes widened and dared struggling yet finding the action rather harmless. He then stayed in place as the King continued. He then whispered, "Let me go. Please let me go, Alfred." Seeing that his favor wasn't granted, Arthur just dropped it and tried to ignore the fact.

Soon, he started hearing soft snores from the King, the fatigue from the dragging day showing. The Queen only sighed and hesitantly placed his arms on the other's chest again, trying to gain the comfort of sleeping in such position.

However, dread and curiosity came to him.

Lying before him was the greatest King the Spades had ever had: the bravest, the youngest, the strongest, the kindest and the one who embodied power the most. Yet, he was also the King who served the most Queens of all; all the four Queens who died unexplained deaths. He could be next if he was deemed destined to.

Also, why now of all the time? Of all the time to become a royalty? The War of Colors was a very important phase of the regimes. Every royalty should be special in their special ways.

There was a lot of what he could not explain in the rank of royalties in his very own kingdom: the Archbishop, the knights, the Oracles, the King and even him being a Queen. He thought of having this as an adventure that would have torn him away from his usual and timid merchant life.

An adventure that would have given him answers as to his purpose of being the Queen and as a royalty to give his own life in the name of the War of Colors.

**...**

**End of Chapter 1**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on. ^^


	2. War of Colors

It seemed to be a trend, and somehow, very useful for me. I am getting tired of s/he... so I'll go British and do the singular 'they.' (I am guilty of fusing American and British English so yeah.)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Arthur Kirkland, once a silk merchant and now the new Queen of Spades, walked through his very first day as the crown Queen. Before he gave in to fatigue, he encountered a man that most royalties would encounter.

His acquaintance to the infamous Joker of the Black Suits, Gilbert, signified his reign as the Queen till the end- along with a dawning message of revolution to happen, which he will bring upon and be hunted for.

Soon, he woke up to meeting the King who almost decapitated him, only to lead to a small hint of attraction which would be more preferred as part of their obligations as King and Queen.

The world of royalties started to unveil more and more to the Queen chosen in such a very critical phase.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

It was a very dark place- a room if the surroundings were more visible. Within this room was a man fixed on his bed. He had the blanket gathered on the half of his body, the mass strangely hollowed at some parts of the legs. With the subtle flash of his clothing, he was unmistakably a royalty.

Yet the color scheme of his clothes appeared to be of another kingdom's.

He was seated on his bed, staring at the wavering heavy curtains. It seldom lifted enough to reveal the darkened sky of the night. Dinner had been served, and he would just leave it somewhere on top of the nightstand. The food was left untouched, as if waiting for someone to pick up the spoon and feed the bedridden man.

Stop. The wavering stopped as well as the dreadful shifting noises it created. A light reflected on the man's spectacles, signifying a presence opposite the side where he was staring. The man turned with the same light reflected on his glasses, somehow blinding the man.

"No need to flash fires. I have the candles prepared." His weakened voice spoke with dignity and submission, closing his eyes to protect it from the damaging light. Soon, the great light source vanished, yet replaced by the sequential lighting of the candles placed around the room, lighting it up properly for both of them to clearly see each other.

Again, it was the Joker of the Black Suits. However, he did not wear any menacing grin on his face. It was a rather apathetic expression, and it turned into a broken smile as the Joker walked to the one in bed, "Hi, Roddie. How are things going?"

"Same as usual, I guess. Everything else is dying." The man sighed as he watched the Joker went to him and sat down the edge of the bed nearest to him, "Strange things remained. Even till now, it seems that it is still happening- but no one ever noticed."

"Strange things are happening in the Black Suits recently. First is this. Next is the male Queen of Spades. Man, this is exhaustingly exciting. What do you think?" Gilbert grinned at the bedridden man who simply answered with a soft hum and a nod. With a bitter grin, the Joker then petted his head before disappearing in thin air again.

The man sighed once more and stared at the wavering candlelight, "The Land is slowly changing- and I doubt that the War of Colors was more than a war out of misunderstanding. But then again, Gilbert should already take me. I do not wish to live in a regime like this."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

Heels clicked against the halls once again as the Queen and his Jack walked through them. The Queen had to go through a lot of study sessions to learn about the history that aristocrats of Spades should know. And unlike the past queens, Arthur seemed to be interested in studying everything- considering that he never had any formal schooling to boot.

"Isn't studying all day exhausting for you, my Queen? I never saw anyone willing to read every book that there is in the library but you for years, aru." The Jack worriedly spoke as he was scared for the Queen's brain from the information overload.

Yao Wang, the Jack of Spades, had been in his position for 6 years now. Standing as the second-in-command of their knights and the most trusted person of the King, he now doubled as the Queen's aide since virtually no aristocrat wanted to serve a merchant, regardless if he was the Queen.

The length of their services to the crown made everyone wonder about the chosen queens.

"Really? Studying about the history of the kingdom is nothing but marvelous, Yao. I can't believe these books haven't been touched for years!" Arthur chuckled as he waved the books that he was holding, causing them to fall off from his hands. The Jack brought the books from his arms down to help the Queen. Arthur apologized as he picked the books up, "My bad."

"You should be careful, my Queen." The Jack laughed as they gathered the books, "The same thing happened when Alfred was going through these books, aru. He always skipped school when he was younger- being the King made him want to know them all. Ah, such youthful enthusiasm. Don't you think, my- what is it, Queen?"

Yao was busy talking, only to find out that Arthur wasn't listening at all. He was just staring at a rather interesting book. It was new yet dusty- it didn't contain history but a diary. It was the diary of a queen written during the first years of War of Colors nineteen years back. Yao watched Arthur frown at the book's contents.

"That one took Alfred's attention the most as well." He sighed and gathered the other books, "It's quite funny that he- h-hey!" He miserably begged for the other to stay, but Arthur was too enticed by the book to stop reading and listen to the Jack. Yao had only sighed, "Aiya, he did walk away and left the books to me as well."

The book was indeed enticing. Its hardbound case had the words 'Cards had been Dealt' written on it- as well as the name 'Amebeth of Spades.' It was written by one of the greatest queens Spades had ever had; unfortunately, she was decapitated by a former King of Hearts during the War of Colors. The entries inside were detailed- and surprisingly filled with secrets only the Crown should know.

Arthur went to his room, closed the door and sat down his bed. Browsing through the first pages, he started to get a better picture of what the War of Colors seemed to be. It was more than a bloodbath for honor and territory. It was all from a misunderstanding between Hearts and Spades. The Queen of Hearts dreamed of a man who would destroy the world, brandishing the cape of Spades and ravaging all the other kingdoms. Though the Queen did not say that it was the King of Spades, the King of Hearts started a campaign to keep Spades in check. Diamonds and Clubs, who knew Spades was capable of dreaming and the Queen of Hearts had never had a wrong premonition, supported the campaign. The Queen of Hearts then came to Spades to warn them and clarify the premonition she had- yet Spades, being evil, decided to wage war against Hearts, killing the Queen of Hearts as the declaration.

The new Queen frowned at the senseless reasons; however, he couldn't judge their actions. It was the reputation of the whole kingdom that was on the line. But there was something else that took Arthur's attention more. It was the fact that the Queen Amebeth emphasized these words in her diary, _'And soon she continued. That the man could be another man of the purest evil, one darker than my King and more powerful than all of Spades, and all of the Suits. A man that wanted a unified world under his ferocious reign, a world that no royalty would approve.'_

"This couldn't be me, could it be?" Arthur murmured as he turned another page. Soon, he read about the series of wars between Spades and Hearts and the deaths of the royalties in the battlefront. Also, there were entries about Diamonds joining the war as Spades tried to use their territory to get to Hearts- the Clubs mindlessly joining by attacking Hearts as well. Hearts did the same to Diamonds to get to Spades, and it even entertained Clubs in its meddlesome dispute. Spades and Clubs tried to collaborate against Hearts, but the kingdom was betrayed by the other as Clubs abandoned them in a war against Hearts and Diamonds.

_'And ever since then, everything became so warped. The war stretched for days, months, years. I want to believe that there will be so much future after these. All the malice that shroud the land after that night of the twenty-third day of the second month of Spring, three hundred years after Crowning. Let there be a man born in the land of Spades, to be crowned King and had a name known among the Land of Suits and the lands of faraway. Let this be the man to stop the premonition, to salvage the glory of Spades and the peace of the generations to come.'_

"Queen Amebeth sure is a dreamer. Could this be the source of his aspirations?" Arthur hummed as he ran his fingers across the words written on the back of the book. Those were the words Queen Amebeth left to her aide before coming to the kingdom of Hearts to negotiate. However, she was killed along with her unborn child by the King of Hearts who knew no way of stopping the war with words alone.

"My Queen found the book."

Arthur twitched as he turned to see the King leaning against the door frame. He then walked in, closed the door and sat beside the Queen, "Queen Amebeth was a goddess. She was beauty and intellectual madness personified. She made three Kings kneel before her, causing revolutions in Hearts and Diamonds, which weakened the two kingdoms. Too bad, she went too far and got herself killed."

"But she said something about realizing that the wars are part of one great game. That the Queen of Hearts' premonition was true, and the wars needed to stop to alter this man's plan." Arthur frowned at the king and then back to the book, "But ending a war meant having a victor. I don't suppose any of the kingdoms wanted to lose the War of Colors."

"You don't have to worry, Queen. They will be willing to bow down to Spades as the victor. We just need to push them all back some more. And then everything will be peaceful again- and I talk like I ever known peace." Alfred chuckled at the last words he spoke, gaining Arthur's attention back to his face. The Queen stared at the saddened face of the King, "You're right. We both grew up in this war already in play."

Alfred turned to him, and then he asked, "Hey, would you like to learn how to fight? I mean, I'm pretty sure, even the Queen needed to know how to protect himself. Especially now that the knights are very wary of you. The aristocrats had too much pride to bow down to a merchant- even though you're Queen."

"I find that odd as well. But then again, I doubt I would be Queen for quite a while- considering the turnover of crowns." Arthur sighed, and then realized that he shouldn't have said anything about the deaths. He then shot his gaze back to the King as he felt the bed shift.

Alfred got up and walked to the door again, not sparing a gaze to the Queen. However, he stopped as he held the knob, "You could say it, Arthur. That this great king is cursed. Each and every time I came home with the greatest glories, the Queen dies. I am beginning to think that as long as I wage war and win it, the queen will die. But their deaths are evitable- if I stay close enough."

"Alfred-"

The King turned to him with a serious face and teeming dark aura, "You're the last queen I'll ever have, Arthur. I'm taking you wherever I go, and you cannot do otherwise. We'll start sword training tomorrow morning. I'll see you at the courtyard shortly after breakfast." And without another word spoken, the King left. The Queen stayed on his seat for a while before gazing down at the book again.

"A man born to stop the premonition... and a man to destroy world order. Both sons of Spades."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

Drip. Drip. Drip. Dripping sounds echoed through the dark void. Groaning came into his senses, and he managed to open his eyes. Nothing. He saw nothing, yet he was hearing a resonating sound. There was soon a feeling of flooring underneath his feet, in which he felt like he had to walk along. He did. Only for him to see a light at the end of the path.

It was candlelight... and it seemed to come from a stand at the lower left of the view. Soon, he realized he was looking at a mirror, with the light a mere reflection of the candelabra on the pedestal behind him. And with that realization, the room began to show form. It was a stoned room only with a big mirror on the wall and the pedestal on the side of the hollowed door. Having nothing else to do, he walked to the mirror and stared at his reflection.

Arthur Kirkland stared at his despairing reflection for a long while.

It was him, yet the expression of his face was different. He was crying in the reflection: face stained with tears that almost dried. He was wearing yet a worn-out version of the clothing he did remember wearing to sleep: white shirt with a white bow fastening the collar, and his brown trousers. Blood was smudge in them as well. It was disturbing and unexplainable, but the Queen walked nearer to touch the mirror.

It glistened. Soon, it showed the same room yet with a different person standing where he was. They had this short dark hair and dead fish eyes of chocolate hue. They were clothed in a loose white garb with linings of red. The two stared at each other until the 'reflection' bowed as if giving respect, "Welcome to the Maze, Queen of Spades. I hoped I did not disturb you. Please keep your hand against the mirror; I wish to talk longer."

"If you were behind that nightmare of a reflection earlier, you already had." Arthur frowned at the mysterious person, "Anyway, what do you want? Did you call me into this 'Maze' you speak of?"

"I have an important message to you, Queen of Spades. Please listen to what I had to say regardless of what the Spadanian crown had made you believe. The King... you must not let the King out of your sight. It's starting." The mysterious person appealed more by pressing themselves against the mirror, both hands against the glass, "The premonition is on its final cycle. The King of Spades..."

"I have heard of this premonition, they who have not introduced themselves. However, you cannot infuse your belief in me without speaking of your identity. Who are you? How could you connect to my dream?"

The mysterious person twitched and spoke hesitantly, "I don't have much time. As well as you, Queen of Spades. Heed my warning." He began stepping away from the mirror, "You can come here anytime, Queen of Spades. The other Queens will be pleased to meet you."

Zap. He breathed as if he just woke up from a nightmare. Arthur got up from his bed, and held his head. As he moved, he noticed an arm slid down from his chest to his waist- soon realizing that it was Alfred's arm. It seemed like the King sneaked inside his room again. However, he was more occupied and bothered by the 'dream' that he just had.

Running a hand through the other's forehead, he decided to clear it from stray locks. The King looked nothing like the creature the people of the kingdom respected- and feared. He leaned down to continue stroking at the other's hair, thinking of what the person could mean.

'It could not be Alfred, could he be? He's only twenty-one, and the world has already witnessed his greatness. Will it be the same year that they will see his tyranny? But it was a warning exclusive to the Queen of Spades. It could be one of my secret duties- I must stop it from happening. But how much should I give for this? Will my words be enough? I fear the day that I had to give more than I can ever have.'

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

Morning came, and breakfast was served hours earlier. The two royalties were in the courtyard for the start of their sword training, a few more aristocrats watching the Queen learn. Of course, he was sloppy, unrefined and weak. He was used to handle the softest silk, and his hands were never made for swords. Chattering and mockery filled the courtyard as they underestimate the male queen.

Alfred was pretty much aware of the people around them, and he knew it was affecting the Queen already. He was swinging uncontrollably just to show physical power, yet his grace and accuracy were being dulled. Soon, he held a signal, "We're done for today, my Queen. Let's continue again tomorrow."

The Queen only nodded as he weakly walked to the thick wood fence where the Jack was waiting for him. He dropped the sword and hung himself from the beam, "How can you survive this kind of training, Yao? This is pathetic. I think I'm going to die."

"You're just exerting too much power, aru." He patted the Queen's head before looking up to see Alfred walk to them. He grinned at the Jack and sat on the beam beside Arthur, "You'll be pretty exposed to the battlefield, Arthur. You need to master the sword- more likely when you wanted to be where I am."

"Don't reverse it, Alfred. I only agreed to what you said. You were the one who wanted to take me everywhere." The Queen huffed as he tried to straighten himself, yet he fell off balance. The King caught him with an arm by the waist before chuckling, "Yeah, yeah. I'll just pick you up for lunch. Until then, you should rest."

"No, I'll be fine without sleeping. You said you will meet with the mayors in two hours. I will come with you." Arthur started catching his breath before looking back at the King. Alfred and Yao looked at each other momentarily before the Jack started to worry, "Aiya, my Queen. You've been very persistent in going wherever the King is. It's getting worrisome."

Arthur then looked at the Jack with confused eyes, "Uh, it is? I just thought it would be normal."

Alfred scratched his head and then hung his arm around the Queen's shoulders, "No queen had ever wanted to stay in my presence unless it's necessary for them to do so. I don't know if it was just my words alone, but I appreciate your willingness, Arthur." He then ended up dragging the Queen in that hold, "The meeting is in two hours; why don't we sleep until then? Sounds good? Alright, let's go!"

"Why did you get to decide by yourself!?"

The two continued walking away from the Jack who was just watching them go. His serious face was not from the fact that they left him on his own again, but from the seething suspicion that he felt. He knew the Queen was hiding something from his sudden wanting to be with Alfred at all times. And somehow, his six years of service served him some information that only a trusted few knew.

Even some secrets that could deliver every queen to their excruciating deaths.

"It's been opened again. The Queens' Maze is opened again."

**...**

**End of Chapter 2**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on!


	3. The Gathering of Queens

You must be wondering so I thought I should explain some parts of this universe. Not everyone in the castle is an aristocrat: some are just mere servants (but are valued as aristocrats). However, they have so much pride, and they refuse to serve anything lower than aristocrats. Servants of the castle are viewed in a higher social position than anyone outside of the castle aside from the people of the government. That meant that Arthur is basically in a lower class than the servants, and it continues to be that way even though he was hailed Queen.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

In a far away kingdom, there seemed to be a person that the Joker was taking care of. However, it seemed that this person knew of things- that could slowly alter the meaning of the War of Colors they wage.

Back in Spades, the process of assimilating the Queen continues as Arthur started learning about the history- and accidentally, the hidden events of the war. This event opened Alfred's thoughts on having his last queen.

That night, Arthur dreamed of a mysterious encounter with a person from yet a mystical place. That stone room seemed more than disturbing nightmare as the person started warning him about the premonition of years ago.

The sudden shift opened a path to a darker secret no recent queens of Spades would ever want to die for.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

It would only be thirty minutes to get from the castle to the house of the mayor where the gathering will happen. Today, the mayors of the districts inside the kingdom were expected to come to discuss the heightening of tax which the King wanted to deny, and also to meet the Queen.

The royalties usually got dressed with the help of their chambermaids, but this time, Alfred asked Arthur to do it. No one could interfere, and the chambermaids were just asked to be on stand-by outside the room. Since no one really wanted to serve the merchant Queen, no one will conflict with the King's decision. And considering that he was a silk merchant, of course he knew how to dress a person.

"I did expect that the King would have such childish way of thinking at times." The Queen sighed with a small smile as he helped Alfred in his coat. Alfred could only grin before whispering, "Five years, and I'm still not comfortable with being helped by a lot of people. It's not like our clothes are as complicated as the ones from the other kingdoms. The way they dress are absolutely ridiculous."

"I would say the opposite. The clothing of Spadanian royalties is way too simple for someone with blue blood." Arthur chuckled as he started fixing the King's necktie, "It was as if you dress so simple to move freely; jumping right into war without compromising such elegance of clothing."

Alfred hummed in response, soon pulling the bow on Arthur's collar, "Yeah, yeah. I don't really like sophisticated clothing. I won't be able to move with those things like what you said." He then started unbuttoning the Queen's vest, which made Arthur hiss, "Oh, are you going to help me dress up, too, my great King? I would really appreciate that because my clothes are being taken off."

"Shhh, the clothes say they won't serve a merchant." Alfred whispered with a hush, only to have Arthur flick his forehead. The Queen started fixing his own clothes as Alfred consoled his forehead. Arthur started lecturing the King, "I might have the option to entertain you, Alfred. But we have an appointment to see through. We have to get there on time- and this time, don't grab a random horse and run off on your own."

"Did Yao tell you about that?" The King pouted shortly before regaining his King-like composure as Arthur finished grooming himself. He looked at the King, and they walked out of the room to be followed by the chambermaids. They were escorted by the Jack only to the carriage because Yao had to be in charge in their absence. Arthur sighed as the horse started walking, his long face showing for thinking of seeing faces he never wanted to see yet again. "Mayors."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 3: The Gathering of Queens**

**...**

The ride stretched to an hour as they traveled around the busier streets of the Ace District, the center of commerce in the kingdom. If they do not have a certain path to take, Arthur would have asked the chauffer to go around the shortcut the Queen knew to get there quickly.

Soon, they arrived at the Ace District's mayor's house still on time. The people serving the mayor recognized the once most successful silk merchant as the one walking next to the great king. They then soon remembered that he was crowned Queen, but nothing much about him changed. If anything, it would just be the one he walked with.

"Ah, Arthur! We weren't notified that you were coming!" The mayor of the Ninth District greeted the Queen, tone with mockery and contempt. The Kirkland's silk factory was in his district so he just used to bully Arthur with the taxes that he had to pay. The other mayors joined him in secretly dissing the Queen. But they stopped as they realized that the King was indeed with them.

The discussions continued as soon as the meeting about the taxes started. They were asking for a higher tax in all of Spades, and they would guarantee that they will give a higher part of it to the Crown. However, Alfred kept on shooting them down in their request. The raise was unreasonable, and it would provoke more people to support the rebellion against the Crown. The King then started proposing compromises to give the mayors more money- yet it will cripple their sense of security. The meeting ended with the King ruling out the talks about taxes until necessary. Angering the mayors would also result to more support to the rebellion, but it would be less credible since people in the government were well off known as supporters of the Crown.

Since they were out and about, the two royalties decided to take a tour around the Ace District. They were escorted by the royal knights, and were drawing crowd from every corner of the street. Everyone looked excited to see the unscathed king from his latest conquest of depending yet another border from Clubs.

However, everyone was still frowning at the Queen. They still wouldn't accept that the Queen was male and was one of the greediest people in the kingdom. (Successful merchants were seen as money hogs and mongers, that they were considered people that were only focused on gaining more and more money.) The trip outside the castle ended smoothly, leaving only small shards of un-acceptance in Arthur's mind.

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

"I've gone through that; trust me, it'll get better soon." Alfred laughed as he was taking off a layer of his clothes upon being left alone with the Queen in his gigantic room. Arthur was seated on the bed, lazily leaving the vest open and the ribbon undone. He just sighed and sighed once more. Crashing to the bed, he answered with a soft whisper, "I don't mind, really."

"Who are you trying to deceive, Arthur? Anyone wouldn't like being belittled. I swear you would have reacted the same if ever new clients would call your silk low class." The King started to grin again, slowly climbing on top of the Queen. Arthur twitched as he found Alfred above him, hands shooting to push him by the shoulders, "S-Silk is a very d-different subject, my K-King. And- what do you think you're doing on top of me?"

"What? It's my job to relieve you."

"I don't need this kind of relieving." He continued to push until Alfred grabbed his wrists to pin his arms down the bed. The Queen started to struggle as the King loomed his face over Arthur's. Their breaths brushed against each other's faces, and he whispered, "I can't deny this strange attraction and the urge to love you, Arthur. Whatever you're doing to me, stop it."

"I'm not doing anything to you." Arthur answered back in the same softness of his voice.

Their gaze connected again, the King filled with lust and the Queen with mixed fear and confusion. Sliding his nose down Arthur's and closing his eyes, Alfred began to kiss the other deeply. Arthur could only let the other do so, being not strong enough to push him off from that position. The King's knee crept to the Queen's crotch, slowly moving to feel the jewels in there.

But before they even start, knocks came to the door, and Yao's voice spoke from the other side. The King and Queen's audience was needed by the Archbishop for a very urgent matter. Alfred only pulled back and got up with a growl. Arthur wiped his mouth dry after getting up from the bed. They fixed their clothing-

And never spoke to each other for the entire walk.

The day went faster than usual, and the Queen was dead tired from everything he had to do: sword training, mayor meetings, archbishop lecture, history classes, sword training, aristocrat meetings, law and ordinance reviews, and a lot more that a Queen should do. As soon as dinner was done, he just took his time to walk to his room on his own. After that, he once again crashed to the bed and decided to sleep without removing any clothing.

And it was bound to happen again. Arthur found himself standing in the void again like last night. However, he felt that it was different this time. There was no reverberating sound of dripping water, no smell of wet rocks or anything that reminded him of that place last night.

Then a sudden sensation came to him as he felt like he was holding something in his right hand. It seemed to be something solid, long and hard. Something made of metal with some linings that were perhaps gold plating. His left hand used its fingers to make out more of the thing until he touched the candle's wick. It then began to glow- revealing him to be standing in a dark room with three mirrors before him. One was flattened against the wall while the two others were slanted yet facing him effectively.

The mirror then began to show an image, also a figure holding a candelabra with her gentle-looking hands. She wore her long hazel hair back and her fringe with a flower on her head. Her clothes reflected a dim green, enhancing her pale complexion. Her eyes opened, and she greeted the Queen with a smile, "Greetings, Queen of Spades. Even though you're male, you are a beauty. Oh, shall we wait for a while?"

"Who are you? Where-" He whispered, but his second question was interrupted as another figure appeared on the mirror on the left. It seemed to be a little girl, golden hair held with ribbons on her head. Her clothes glowed with yellow, almost mixing with her light-colored skin. Her eyes opened as well, sending a smile to the male as well, "Wow, the Queen of Spades. It's my first time to see one. How excited I am to meet you."

"We share the same sentiments then, Lili." The woman in green chuckled as she seemed to turn to her right before looking back at the male, "Kiku had already met you, but did not have enough time to talk." She then began ranting, "The dimension vortex seemed to be pretty hard to open these days with all the wars happening left and right of all kingdoms- Spades brandishing its monstrosity at everything."

"Excuse me." Arthur whispered, making the woman twitch and chuckle. Soon, the mirror on the right showed an image of the person he met last night, only that they were in a layered red garb with flowing cloths. Before Arthur could react, the place shifted in form, sending the four into another room- now with the 'physical' images outside the mirrors, the candles disappearing.

The little girl in yellow looked around to check her arms, "Isn't this a bit dangerous, Kiku? It's the first time I ever stepped foot in the actual Maze." The person in red waved their hands to calm her, "It's alright; and please, it's just my second time in here, but it seemed that it never had an effect on me."

"To actually materialize in a dream. The Queens' Maze is a very fantastic place." The woman in green chuckled as she moved on her spot, feeling her clothes. The three women seemed pleased to be where they were, but Arthur was more than confused to find himself yet in a very strange place. Soon, the woman in green then asked him, "So, how do you find this maze, Queen of Spades? It was built by one of your own after all. Queen Elizia if I'm not mistaken."

"I- I have no knowledge about this place. I never met the Queen before me." He whispered still wondering about the identity of the people there with him. However, it was answered by the little girl in yellow, "I think it's time for introductions now. Greetings, Queen of Spades. My name is Lili Swingli, Queen of Diamonds."

"I am Elizabeta Hedervary, Queen of Clubs." The woman in green greeted in yet a proud manner, "Remember the name because you'll fall in my regime." The woman in red nodded, "Forgive my nameless introduction last night, Queen of Spades. I am Kiku Honda, Queen of Hearts. Welcome to the Queens' Maze."

"The other queens." That was all he said. Conquered with disbelief and confusion, he tried to continue, "I- My name is Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades. It's my honor- to meet- the other queens. But what- what we are we doing in here? Aren't we all supposed to be enemies?" Elizabeta hummed as she tried to explain, "This place seemed to be a gathering place for Queens alone- a word of this will result to your death, Arthur."

"Ever since the premonition was made, the queens decided to discuss matters that seemed to be out of place- relaying every small information to help determine the man to destroy the world and deter his plans." Kiku began to talk, "It was all arranged in a place where the queens will not get physically hurt. This was staged after the unnecessary deaths of Queen Sakuya of Hearts and Queen Amebeth of Spades."

Lili began to show fear and discomfort, "The premonition- it seemed to be getting nearer and nearer. I was starting to have nightmares about an end. And an unknown man. Beheadings- my King, my Jack and I." Elizabeta hummed and looked at Arthur, "My kingdom didn't feel right as well. It seemed that something was always out of place. Odd enough, I couldn't tell what it was. And I also had nightmares- running away from an unknown man."

"Hearts was experiencing something as well. The warmth of the winds was never consistent nor still. The fortune cards were also shattered and disarrayed. And my visions of a man butchering my knights crept inside my skin. How about you, Arthur? Have you experienced anything strange as of late?" Kiku gave her own share of strange experiences, only to ask for Arthur's comments. However, he never had any to say, "I- I'm Queen for only two days; I believe I cannot share anything for now. I cannot even distinguish normal from abnormal for now."

"But the systems- they were supposed to be around even back before your coronation." Elizabeta wondered, and Arthur whispered, "I'm no aristocrat. I know nothing of the systems in the castle." The three queens twitched in confusion and exchanged gazes with each other. Soon, Elizabeta placed her hand on her chin, "Truly, the world order is starting to rock. Not only that you're no female, but you're also not an aristocrat. Spades seemed to suffer more of these strange things."

A strange pang hit the four queens that made them somehow shudder. Kiku held on her arms as the other three showed their burring as well, "We're running out of time for now. We'll see each other again soon. Please, let us see to it the premonition will not come true and wreak enough havoc in our kingdoms."

The two other queens nodded, and their images vanished as if rippled water. Arthur laid his eyes on the Queen of Hearts before asking, "What should I do to Alfred- I mean the King of Spades?" Kiku only looked at him before answering, "He was the most vulnerable to the temptations of the world. He could be that dangerous man anytime. Please, don't let him evolve into what you don't want him to be. As queens, it's our duty to protect the core of the kingdoms." She turned away before vanishing, only having her voice echo as Arthur woke up.

_'Kill him if you must.'_

"Kill him? I could not do that..."

"Kill who?"

"Someone that is- bloody hell! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak in my room!?" Arthur suddenly yelled as he realized that Alfred was lying down next to him again. And just like the first time, he was stripped down to his last layer of clothing.

"Who are you going to kill? And for what?" Alfred asked as he grabbed the wrist of the Queen, "Arthur, no secrets here. At least not between the two of us." The King's eyes glittered in insistence, and his grip spoke more than how Arthur would call painful. 'But I could die. Well, it'll be one way or another.'

"S-Sorry. Please let me go, Alfred." Arthur whispered, but the King only loosened his grip. The Queen rolled to his side to hide his face from the King's gaze by pressing it against the other's chest, "But please don't tell anyone else. I- I had this very strange dream. There was a voice telling me to- to stop the premonition. To stop you from becoming the man to destroy all of Suits."

Arthur growled in hopelessness, "Killing the King is too much duty for me. But I do want to stop you from being someone you're not supposed to be. If there's a way to stop it from happening, I would- I would want to do it."

"Why? Is it because you wanted to be some kind of hero of a queen?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to do what is asked of me- just what is asked of me." His voice trailed as he reconsidered his reasons. He knew that it could something that he was the only one who could do so. However, killing someone just because of blind faith would be unfair. He then remained silent, not knowing if he should continue or not.

The King only hummed and tucked the other closer, "Listen to me, Arthur. Not every voice in your head will lead you to the right direction. Some of them are just there to confuse you, to wrong you, and to make you take a responsibility you are not willing to carry. Whatever you dreamt about, don't believe it. A dream is nothing."

"Even if it appeared real?" The Queen whispered, but the King almost chuckled, "Dreams are never real, Arthur. Not even one should be taken as reality. There is no voice that will-" Alfred tried to convince him, but the Queen shot his head to look at his King's eyes, "But the Queens' Maze appeared to be real! It felt so real!" The King's eyes widened, "The Queens' Maze-?"

"Nothing! I said nothing." Arthur pressed himself against the other again, trying to keep himself from talking about the Queens' Maze more. He couldn't tell him that he met the Queens. He couldn't tell him that he talked to them as if allies. He couldn't tell him that they discussed the irregularities of their kingdoms. The King might take advantage of it, but he might also accuse him of treason. He might also not believe him.

However, Alfred just kept more questions to himself and just started stroking at the Queen's hair, "The unexplained forces of this world corrupt the living through dreams. Those wanting to disrupt world order will come through dreams. Here, sleep tight, Arthur, I will protect you from the otherworldly." As he spoke, Arthur saw a strange faint light underneath them. It appeared like a blue circle with symbols- but before he could investigate more, he felt his consciousness drift and heard Alfred's voice as the last thing he would remember.

"They will never take you away from me."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on!


	4. The Black Suits

I had to clarify: I needed to make Kiku 'female' for now. Reasons are out there as chapters progressed. Someone noticed from the third chapter. :p

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

His royal engagements were starting, and Arthur found himself still in the presence of the lunatic mayors and their conquest for more money. However, having a different position in their society led him to deal with them more.

Soon, he found himself being taken back to the dream realm where he first saw the looming image of a person in white garb. However, he was taken to yet a different place along with the person and two more women.

Before he knew it, he was already talking with the queens of other kingdoms through the Queens' Maze. They spoke of irregularities, and soon, Kiku- of the deranged action that Arthur must take.

Days had passed, and moves were made. War sparked again, revealing the dangerous path Arthur had to take.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"Have you heard from Arthur lately? I couldn't get through no matter how hard I tried. Did something happen to him?" Kiku whispered as she worriedly gazed at the blank mirror on her left. The two other queens gazed at each other, and Lili pressed her hands against her chest, "I heard a rumor that the queens of Spades die in weeks- and with an irregularity as such, he could be-"

"Nonsense, Lili." Elizabeta held the hilt of her sword; apparently, she was adorned with her battle armor, "We will engage in another battle with Spades again shortly. If he was to fight alongside their blasted king, then I might see him in the frontline."

"Then let's pray for the safety of the Queen in the hands of his own men." Kiku whispered as she sheltered the fire of her candlelight with her hand, only to extinguish it as her image started to fade. Lili blew her light off, and Elizabeta was left standing in front of the three mirrors alone. She then walked to touch the mirror in front of her wherein Arthur should appear.

There were more irregularities than what she could tell. Way more than even her own heart could handle. If only she could reveal all. She then put her own fire out, waking up from the chair that she sat down to talk to the queens. She got up and walked briefly to a room. It was dark and occupied, the heavy drapes robbing the room of light. She went to the curtains to pull them to give light to the room.

To her surprise, there were tons of candles planted around the room, all were used as if a very hot fire was quickly burning the wick. She took one, pulling it off from its stand near the curtain, and inspected the concave of the wax. She then heard shifting noises from the bed and looked at its direction, "Was it Gilbert again?"

"Elizabeta." That was the only word that came out from the man's mouth. He was the one from before, yet he looked less and less healthier as time passed. She seemed to know that he was in constant contact with the Joker, but didn't know why he would come for him one night after another.

"He hadn't come for days. But if you're asking about the candles, yes." He answered briefly, trying to roll the blanket down to his waist. Elizabeta hurried to his side to help him, "We're going out there again. Are you sure you'll be alright? Your legs had been- your legs had been diminishing more and more each day." She caressed his head and hooked stray bangs behind his ear, "Why would Gilbert do this to you? Why would he let death forsake you? You don't deserve being eaten by this disease every passing day."

He could only smile and touched her face with his stronger hand, "I could keep up with this more, my Queen. You don't have to worry about me for now. I don't want you to be hurt in the battle later because you are thinking of me." She then twitched and pulled back, only to drop it and hold his hand, "I will keep my mind in the battle. But please let me come home to you, Roderich."

Roderich nodded with a smile before Elizabeta walked away from his room. She composed herself to focus enough for the upcoming string of the war. However, she walked in on a cleaning maid whom she asked, "Excuse me, had anyone came up to the Jack this week?"

"No one came into the room before you had, my Queen." The maid humbly answered after stopping her work to pay proper respects. Elizabeta hummed loudly and put a now-gloved hand on her chin, "Then how did he know of the battle? I never mentioned anything to him. Did Gilbert tell him beforehand?"

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 4: The Black Suits**

**...**

Two months had passed since Arthur's coronation, and the kingdoms of Spades and Clubs were yet in another string of war; the first battle that Arthur would participate in. A lot of things had changed since that day, and one of them was Arthur's mastery of the sword. He would make a decent knight now unlike weeks ago, and he could defeat some high-rank knights in the castle as well. But these changes were only personal- the society still thought that it had to stoop down in order to recognize him as Queen.

But Arthur could care less about it now. He would rather spend time reading, training and preparing for meetings than to deal with the people who criticize the Crown for hailing a male merchant as the newest queen. Also, there were people who were counting down Arthur's existence based on the shortest stay of the queen the great King had ever had since his coronation, which was only five months. That belief wasn't the only thing that could kill him.

It's been two months since Arthur last heard from the other queens. He didn't know what happened, neither did he want to know. He wouldn't like them telling him to kill the King one way or another, neither did he want to hear about their bad experiences. The Queens' Maze was like a club for neighboring mothers- and socializing with people deeply wasn't much of his expertise.

He must be a good entrepreneur, but it never meant connecting with the people personally. Among the brothers, he was the only one who didn't have much experience with other people's personal lives- he spent too much time vending and taking care of their bedridden mother. Even until now, he saw being the queen as a job that did not force him into connecting with everyone in the kingdom. He wouldn't be Queen for long anyway. But the King was something else.

King Alfred of Spades was a terrible person no matter how much the kingdom glorified his name. He would force Arthur in everything he would want, the Queen could only verbally object. He would subject the former merchant into activities he did not know and force him to learn them along the way. It had given him a lot of knowledge on those things, but the exhaustion and risk were not that worthy all the same. However, his wonderful personality was as dominant as his terrible nature. The King seemed to be a child putting up with a mask of a grown man. He would want to be spoiled and cared for by Arthur alone, like a child who did not want anyone else but his very own mother. He would wonder about Alfred's family- but Yao only said the Jones were a bit mysterious even to the people of the Crown.

But before his mind would travel a bit too far from being conscious of the world, Arthur had to give the road a hundred percent of his attention. They were by then traveling to the valley where the two armies would clash once more. They had shared multiple fights against each other and against Hearts as their mutual enemy. However, the shaky alliance of these two kingdoms normally ends up in bloodshed no matter how terrible or successful the joint military attack would be. This would be his first time to actually shed blood in the name of Spadanian crown, and this would be the first time he would go against people who fight for the Clubbish crown. Everyone would be putting their lives on the line all the same, and Arthur would have to experience that firsthand.

"Remember, Arthur. Don't die." Alfred muttered for only the Queen and the Jack to hear. The male queen nodded and gave a soulful look at the Jack. They stopped at the edge of the valley to oversee the gathering forces at the other edge of the battlefield. Arthur stared long enough to go through the toughened faces of the Clubbish- soon landing his gaze on the Queen's face.

Her name was Elizabeta Hedervary just like what she claimed it was back in the Queens' Maze. She was the Clubbish queen for seven years now, staying with the Crown longer than anyone in the present line up of royalties in all four kingdoms. Seven years was very long for a royalty, and she wanted to stay longer to make Clubs prosper in both trade and territory. And right now, she was heading the campaign against Spades, promising glory and victory to her kingdom.

"King of Spades! Surrender this region! This belongs to Clubs now!" She yelled powerfully, the formation of the lands echoing her voice clearly to the other side. Alfred then responded, "Not in my regime, Queen of Clubs!" Elizabeta then looked at her knights and then to the knights of Spades. She raised her sword up high, only to swish it down as if cutting the horizon. And with that, both knights rode into battle.

Battle cries were everywhere, and Arthur somehow never hesitated to swing his sword to kill people. He knew it was something he should be able to do- and thinking about how many lives the other royalties could have taken in the name of glory. But there was something else that he was paying attention to: the knights of Spades. Ruthless could not even begin to cover their ways. They were like savages in the form of men. Every swing of their blades could kill brutally, and there was nothing he could do to sugarcoat that. Spades equated evil after all.

"Queen of Spades!" A familiar voice called on him, making him used to his sword to block her attack. It was Elizabeta, and she grinned at him, "Hello there, Arthur. We were worried you might be dead. Why didn't you come to the Maze? We were trying to get to you, but you never answered." He then squinted at her and hissed for a response, "I have no idea how to get there on my own. Besides, I shouldn't be talking to you."

"No, we should talk. It's the whole Land of Suits that will be compromised if that man will rise." Elizabeta frowned a bit. Soon, she started trying to land a cut on the other queen, but Arthur's defensive stance was quite hard to break. They then began talking again, "Kiku said she couldn't even find you. What did you do? Are you trying to escape us that bad? Are you hiding something from us?"

"I have the right to hide something from other queens, Queen of Clubs." He hissed again, soon taking the offensive. Elizabeta gracefully evaded and parried his attacks- soon hitting him across the collarbone. A little bit later, she could have slit his throat. He moved back a bit to evade more attacks from her, but she was faster than Arthur could flee from.

Elizabeta swung her sword to almost cut Arthur's face- only to have Alfred deflect her attack. She did a backward somersault to evade the counterattack of the King. She resumed her defensive stance as Alfred did his. The King glanced at his Queen, "Are you alright, Arthur? Let me handle this bitch." The Queen of Spades answered a 'yes' under his hissing, hand pressed to keep the wound from bleeding. Elizabeta started attacking, and the two highest royalties commenced in an intense sword fight.

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

"It's overflowing." Roderich whispered as he hugged himself to keep himself warm from the chills that he had gotten just one second ago. The furious wind blew the curtain higher; the wind from an open window made his hair and blanket shift. There was this powerful presence in the castle, and he couldn't keep himself from not feeling that. Something dangerous was headed to his bedroom. Something that he wouldn't want to bear witness to.

"Roderich, may I come in?" A playful voice spoke as knocks were made at his door. The presence continued to crush the warmth in his body, the wind depicting the terror being built within him. The Jack of Clubs could only pant at the triggered coldness before letting him in verbally. The door opened, and there stood the King of Clubs.

His name was Ivan Braginsky, and he was the King of Clubs. Appearing with a childish disposition, he was yet another ruthless leader. Crowned days before the King of Spades' coronation, he went to battle for the first time, and to battle King Alfred- sparking a mutual craving for both to become stronger than the other. The battles Alfred lost, he won; the battles Alfred won, he lost. They complemented each other well enough.

But strange things happened, and the Clubbish crown wasn't spared from these. Ivan changed. Greatly. He was far too bold to take risks now, heavily depending on the luck their kingdom was blessed with. Fortune rained on this kingdom, yet it didn't save anyone from the irregularities brought by the premonition. And it seemed Roderich and Elizabeta could see that, yet they both hid it from the world outside their mind in fear of the collapse it could cause to their beloved kingdom.

"You seemed lively today, Roderich. We're at war again; would you like to come?" Ivan grinned at the Jack who could only look at him. Ivan then hummed and walked nearer to sit at the edge of his bed, "The Joker of the Black Suits hadn't come today, has he? But then again, you don't have to be afraid. It will come. It shall." He got up and walked around, speaking with a happy tune, "It's a good day to slaughter the King of Spades. In front of a new queen of his. Ah, I wonder how it feels to have a new queen. It felt like I have known Elizabeta forever."

"D-Don't you want her to be your queen anymore, my King?" Roderich asked, gathering all the monotone he could despite the trembling he suffered from. Ivan turned to him and smiled, "Of course not. I love Elizabeta as my queen. She's strong and decisive. I need her. Just as-" He grabbed a candle and plucked it from its stand, soon crushing it with his hand, "You needed Gilbert." He dropped the candle and went to mount the bed to pet Roderich, "But it's alright. He'll come back. He'll come back."

Even with a childish smile, his hand ran to the other's neck, cupping his hand to hold it, "And you will beg. Because the moment I discover what you two are doing, I. Will. End you."

"Moving on! I have a king to kill." He pulled back and pranced out of the room. The Jack held his neck and started to breathe heavily. It wasn't Ivan. It wasn't the King he served for four years. Starting from the twenty-third day of the second month of Spring three hundred and nineteen years after Crowning, the King of Clubs changed. It shared the same month and day the premonition was told to a great Queen of Hearts. And it could be the same month and day the world they knew would end.

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

It was admirable of her to withstand the swift yet powerful swings of the King of Spades, but the same cannot be said with her sword. It was slowly cracking, and in time, it would break. In attempts to land a cut, the Queen would attack with all her might, but the King could deflect and parry- yet only his kicks would land on the strong woman. Elizabeta panted and raised her worn-out sword; Alfred brandished his more so. Another exchange of swings had been dealt, ending as the Queen's sword gave up.

The blade and its shrapnel flew as Alfred managed to swing his sword with yet greater force. The Queen's eyes widened as the King performed another attack aimed to cut off her head. Seconds late would have ask the Clubbish crown for a new queen- but she was the Queen of Clubs: the Queen of Luck.

An axe flew towards the King, and if Arthur had not yelled, Alfred would have been mutilated. He used his swing to deflect the axe, sparing the Queen. The King's vision extended through the field of blood, only to see a man in armor riding a black stallion with green cloths and saddles. The King grinned and fixed his eyes on the incoming man. The men adorned with green cloths cheered, and the men adorned by blue cloths stepped back. The King of Clubs had arrived, and they knew yet another furious battle would take place in that valley.

"I've been waiting for you, Ivan." Alfred swung his sword around as if welcoming the other king. Ivan only smiled through his armor and hopped off the horse, soon rolling and getting up to unsheathe his sword, "Ah, it's a good day, isn't it? A good day to say hi to Gilbert again, don't you think, Alfred?" The King of Spades chuckled differently as he pointed his sword at Ivan, "Oh, Gilbert would really love to see you again, Ivan." The King of Clubs did the same, "Why don't you do me a favor and say hi to him for me then?" Click. The two kings ran towards each other, clashing in yet another sword fight.

And it scared Arthur. The look on his King's face was totally different from all the faces he had seen him make for the last two months. It was filled with bloodlust and murderous intent; his eyes never glinted so evil! Elizabeta noticed the horror written in the other queen's face, making her speak despite the bruises in her stomach, "Look at him, Arthur. Look at your King. He was a monster more than a great hero. This heroism was his excuse for his monstrosity. And he could bring the world its end; we should do something before it's too late. Before it's too late."

The Queen of Spades was frozen. Everyone found it enough for Alfred's nature to issue him a death sentence. Everyone outside of Spades would want Alfred dead- he wasn't even sure if no one in Spades wanted him dead. He was King for five years; he was a killing machine in wars for five years. But he was just a child. In Arthur's eyes, Alfred was just a child shaped by the war they had to live in, and by the aspirations that the past royalties had left for them to realize. And a child needed protection.

But what should Arthur protect Alfred from? He was strong and mighty. He could win wars against any kingdom he faced. But that was where everyone was wrong. Fate was everyone's enemy, and that was the Club's greatest ally. And not just that, Ivan did change- his capabilities affected. Even though Alfred wouldn't realize it, he was facing a different person already, and this person had the best control of his fortune.

The King of Spades' sword flew as Ivan managed to knock it off the other's hand, Alfred greatly confused. The silver-haired big man smirked deviously and swung to cut off the other king's head. The Spadanian king tried to evade as much as he could, trying to get to his sword at the distance.

Arthur and Elizabeta twitched at the unlikely happening, making the Queen of Spades go and run to his king. Elizabeta chased him and tackled him to the ground, "Stop it, Arthur. Ivan will kill you. If you wish to die, I can do it with my own hands."

"Alfred!" The Queen called, trying to get away from Elizabeta's restraints. He would reach out as they watch the Clubbish king kick the other king around, both wondering about Alfred's actions. His face was filled with confusion, and it was clouding his movements- along with the furious kicking Ivan was giving him. He groaned as he was left lying on the ground, eyes widening as Ivan raised the sword.

Yet his face wasn't like all the victorious faces he would make, "This is the end, King of Spades."

"You're... you're not-!"

"ALFRED!"

Ivan struck down the sword while aiming for Alfred's heart. However, in a span of a second, strings of hands made out of purple shadows stretched from beneath the King of Spades. They grabbed the sword by the blade, causing it to stop inches away from the king. Everyone who bear witnessed to it was stunned, soon looking at a direction.

Arthur was holding out a greenish mystical circle against his palm, "No one can hurt my King. Ever."

**...**

**End of Chapter 4**

**...**

Thank you for reading! Please review! My anon review is on~!


	5. Blood of Elizia

Why was Alfred confused? Soon, I shall reveal it. For now, Arthur's misery will start yet again.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

War was on again, and Spades and Clubs were once again on the battlefield against each other. This was also the place where Arthur would first witness war firsthand, and also a fight with another Queen, Elizabeta Hedervary.

Happening in an earlier time, Roderich was virtually threatened by his King. However, they, Roderich and Elizabeta, both knew that Ivan was not Ivan anymore, yet he still sat as the King of their kingdom and fought for the Crown.

The battle progressed, and Ivan made it to the grounds to clash with Alfred again. But to their surprise, the King of Spades acted strange along the way, which led to his death- if not for the purple shadow hands.

Discovery of Arthur's mystical power could lead to two paths: slavery or death, and he wasn't the one deciding.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"A-Arthur." Alfred whispered as everyone stared at the Queen of Spades. He had this greenish mystical circle with weird symbols against his palm, one that resembled the circle beneath the King of Spades. Ivan frowned at the other queen until the hands crept higher and grabbed his hand. He was able to pull away before they could tighten the grip- the hold scorching skin on the other king's hand.

Elizabeta gasped as more hands sprouted from Arthur's circle, trying to grab her as well. She hopped away, watching the hands wriggle more. The Queen of Spades, rather unfazed by the phenomenon, kept the circle aimed at Ivan as the circle from beneath Alfred moved to chase the Clubbish king. Also, more circles came out of nowhere to attack the Clubbish knights, causing burning to the ones a hand could hold long enough.

The knights from both camps retreated in fear as the hands grew larger and more furious. Alfred got up, and even though he's in pain, he ran towards Arthur to take him away. But before he could, the Queen lost consciousness, and the circles broke. The hands did not disappear, and rather went haywire- attacking everything that moves.

"RETREAT!" Both the King of Spades and Queen of Clubs yelled as they ran off back to their stations at the top of the valleys. The knights of both sides did what was told, and everyone ran off as their lives depended on it. Alfred was able to pick Arthur up and ran off swiftly despite the added weight. However, as his horse came to welcome them, he rode on it and directed the knights to go back home already, soon taking off to a different direction.

The Clubbish also rode back home, with Elizabeta asking her King, "What do you think just happened, Ivan? What was that? Those hands that- you were burned?" She shot a question at the end as she saw that Ivan was checking his hand. The horrid hand mark stretched across his wrist and lower arm, skin burnt to a cinder mark. Ivan covered it and whispered, "The Queen of Spades..."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 5: The Blood of Elizia**

**...**

Unlikely sounds came to Arthur' ears as he regained his consciousness. He could hear birds chirping and leaves shifting at a distance. He opened his eyes and surveyed the dark room he was in. However, it was not a room, but a cave; he found himself in a cave with a burning bonfire between him and the King. Off with his coat, the King was trying to treat himself, his eyes fixed on what he was doing.

"Alfred-" Arthur called as he slowly sat up. Instead of a worried king, Alfred only shifted his gaze from his wounds to the Queen, "You're awake." The other royalty got up despite the intense pain crawling through his body just to get to the King, "Are you alright? Where are we? What happened?" Alfred, however, hesitantly gave him the wounded arm to dress.

His silence meant something, and Arthur knew what it could be about. He then looked up at the King, "Trust me I don't know what I just did. I just wanted to save you." The King then took his arm even before Arthur could start, "I used to trust you so much, Arthur. But now, I couldn't bring myself to do so. You're- you're a sorcerer, and sorcerers are enemies of the Crown."

"But Alfred, I didn't know anything about-" Arthur tried to reason, but then Alfred grabbed his neck and tightened his grip, "Don't. Try to deceive me, sorcerer. What did you do to the oracle to hail you? How did you even do that?" The Queen struggled and grabbed the King's wrist, "Al- Alfred- I can't- I can't breathe-"

"I won't let you unless you tell me what you did, and why. What do you want from Spades? Are you here for its destruction? Or are you here to burden it with the curse of the premonition?" Alfred demanded, tightening his grip more and more. Arthur then found no other choice but to fight to free himself. He tried to grab Alfred's face, but the King's wounded hand grabbed his other hand by the wrist, squeezing it to shatter Arthur's wrist.

Tears ran down his face as the Queen facially begged for his life. He was being murdered by his own King, and there was nothing he could about it. Any second by now, he would lose his life- on account of something he didn't even know. What hurt the most was that he did it to save Alfred.

"You promised- you promised to never let me die- that I will be your last queen. I- I wanted to save you, too. I wanted to keep you safe as well- no matter how- much the other queens- wanted me to kill you, Alfred. No matter how- much the whole land- feared your existence- as the man in the premonition, I wanted to save you. Tell me- why I would do such things- if I wanted harm to come your way- as the king- of a kingdom I was about to curse? Why would I give myself away- if I was hiding something- just to save you?"

The King's eyes mellowed, making him let Arthur's neck go. The Queen choked as he consoled his throat, panting heavily to regain air. But his shattered wrist was still held by the King; the bespectacled royalty still staring at his queen. He then whispered, "Do you swear you didn't know anything about this?" Arthur gazed at him and nodded, trying to clear his throat to breathe normally.

Alfred brought the wrist down and held the Queen by the chin. The Queen knew what he was about to do, but to save his life, he had to let the King do as he wished. Alfred leaned closer to press his lips against Arthur's, with the Queen's eyes shut tight. The kiss began to grow deeper as the King started to suck on his soft lips, soon his tongue gaining entry inside the other's mouth. What he should experience was bliss, yet it was strange that he felt somewhat rather abnormal during a kiss.

He could feel his memories before being crowned being run in his mind. He could remember everything in a very detailed manner, something very extraordinary even for the Queen himself. That was when he opened his eyes and tried to avoid the King's face. He looked down to his shattered wrist- only to see a glowing blue circle underneath them. It bore different symbols than what he summoned, and the fact that its symbols stretched from Alfred's hand against the ground made him panic.

Alfred felt the change in Arthur's mood, soon realizing that he was staring at the blue mystical circle he had. The King pulled back, and the circle vanished with the symbols crawling up underneath his sleeve. Arthur stared at him before blabbering, "You- you are like me. Alfred- you are like me!" The King then grabbed the side of the Queen's face, "Don't lump me with the likes of you, Arthur. I'm not a sorcerer. This was a gift- a gift from the crazy queen as they called her, Queen Elizia, successor of Queen Amebeth. With this, I can break through sorcerers' psyche and a lot more beneficial things, but I can never summon monsters like what you do."

"What were you doing to me? Did you do something to me? The Queens' Maze: did you close it?" Arthur started to rapidly ask questions, his brows furrowing more at every question, "King Alfred of Spades, what did you do to me?" Alfred stared at him with sharp eyes before speaking, "I was looking through your memories before being crowned to make sure you were telling the truth. And yes, I did close the entrance to the Queens' Maze inside your mind."

"Then open it! I might hear more and more accusation of you being the man in the premonition, but I wanted to hear what I need to expect to happen now, Alfred. No one was telling me anything more about the premonition, nor about the misfortune did it bring to kingdoms. Alfred, I realized I needed to know what I should prevent to happen. It must be only nightmares to other queens, but it could develop from there. I need to know from who and what I have to protect you from!"

Alfred twitched, his eyes mellowing under Arthur's glare, "One moment you were so scared; the next you were full of courage. What are you really fighting for, Arthur?" The Queen gasped, only to look away, "It doesn't matter. Just let me in the Queens' Maze again, Alfred."

"No. That Maze killed a dozen of queens, Arthur. Not just in Spades, but everywhere in the land. I am not letting you get killed for talking with the other queens." Alfred insisted again with his sharp gaze. Arthur answered back with his glare again, "Then I won't let anyone else know. If there was a way for me to oversee the other kingdoms and how they are planning to kill you, I will risk my life to do so. I have to **know**, Alfred."

The King quit staring at the Queen and brought his shattered wrist to his lips. He kissed the swelling, soon causing it to illuminate and heal as if unscathed. Arthur stared at the King more as Alfred whispered, "The knights saw what happened. You will be tried by the Archbishop as well. I just need to talk to you first- to know that you were on our side all along. Don't break. I will give you back the access to the Queens' Maze- only after you survived the trial. I will do my best to protect you, my Queen, as you gave your all to protect me."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

"Alfred! Alfred!" Yao called as he chased after the King as he ran towards the temple of the oracles. Even the royalties couldn't gain audience from them without them wanting to see the royalty. The oracles were the ones who decide on the royalties, whose names would be written down as King, Queen and Jack of a kingdom. They were the sacred existence. They were the closest thing to gods.

"Alfred, stop! You'll be tried if you force your entry into those temple doors, aru! Alfred, listen!" Yao finally caught up with the King, and Alfred turned at him to hiss, "Yao, you don't understand. They'll kill Arthur no matter what happens, and the only ones that can stop them are the oracles. Let me do this. Arthur might be a sorcerer, but he didn't have any knowledge of that prior to saving me. He was to die because of me."

"My King, you know sorcerers are the enemies of the crown, and they are to be destroyed no matter what happens. Alfred, leave it, aru. The oracles will hail another-" Yao tried to reason but was interrupted. Alfred then grabbed his shoulders and stared at him in the eyes, "I have taken the lives of four queens already, Yao. Make it stop. I don't want another one's death on me- not when all he did was to save me."

Swiftly, the King turned and ran off towards the temple doors where Yao caught up with him again. This time, he didn't protest and waited for the guards to open it up for the King. However, they refused- saying that the oracles were in the middle of an important ceremony. But then again, Alfred just busted through and threatened to slit the throats of those who will stop him. The guards could only stand down, knowing what the King was capable of.

But there was one girl who stood before them, taking the attention of the King and the Jack. She spoke, "My King and my Jack, how could the oracles help you today? However, they were busy, and your presence would anger them." Alfred sheathed his sword and walked to her, "My deepest apologies, but I need to talk to them whether they like it or not." He then just walked past the woman, yet the woman spoke again, "One more step, and I would have to make you vanish, my King."

Alfred did stop and turned to her, "How are you going to do that? Does the oracles' maid have more power than me now?" She turned to him, only to shake her head, "I am naught but a vessel; it would be the oracles who would bring their anger to you, my King." He then went to her to grab her shoulder, "Then let me talk to them even just for one mo-"

"Alfred Jones." A melodic yet creepy voice of a woman called from the end of the hall. It seemed to be from the room where the oracles rest. It then spoke again, "Alfred Jones, King of Spades. Heed our voice, and come. Come to see us whom you seek."

The King was stunned, as well as the Jack who whispered, "Is that- is that one of the oracles, aru?" Alfred just nodded and ran towards the end of the halls. Yao tried to chase after him, but the maid grabbed his arm, "The oracles only seek for the King's audience. You are not allowed to come." The Jack then stepped back, waiting for the King to come out from the voided tunnel to the oracles' room.

It was rather dark and humungous, but Alfred did not care as long as there was someone sitting on the stage before him. He stopped a meter away from the stage, staring at a little girl who had her eyes closed and face voided from expression. Alfred then started, "My deepest apologies, oracles. But I have a request to make. It's about my Queen, Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades."

"Alfred Jones, King of Spades, defender of the Crown's glory, and carrier of Queen Elizia's blood and magic, you dare ask protection from us? Protection for a sorcerer that we swore to extinguish?" The woman spoke, eyes still closed. He frowned and shook his head, "No, not for a sorcerer, but for a Queen that was mystified even by his own coronation. Why would you hail a sorcerer to be Queen? I know you knew beforehand that Arthur Kirkland was special. What do you want from him?"

The girl's eyes opened, and a light of marbling shades of blue shone from them, "How dare you question the oracles, Alfred Jones? How dare you accuse the oracles of conspiracy and treason?" Alfred could only smirk, yet spoke with a level of respect, "I don't accuse the oracles of treason. But conspiracy, yes. You wanted something from Arthur: something that any other sorcerers hidden in Spades cannot offer. Making him Queen will put him under your direct orders, even past the Archbishop. What is it?"

"You don't have the right to know, Alfred Jones. Be gone, King of Spades."

"I will not leave unless you tell me, oracles. Right now, Arthur Kirkland is going to die. Unless you tell me what you wanted, I can't save him." Alfred frowned again as he watched the little girl stand from her seat, "Arthur Kirkland must be kept alive. Alfred Jones, you are to assure that. Until the right time has come, Arthur Kirkland should remain Queen, and you are to give your life and glory to assure that. You will be rewarded, Alfred Jones."

"You have already rewarded me enough, oracles." The King sighed in relief before bowing down; however, the oracles continued to speak, "Alfred Jones, carrier of Elizia's blood and magic, you- you will be alone no more. The man in the premonition had already risen, and it's the Crown's job to stop it. However, the real enemy will only show itself soon enough, deep within its plan."

"And that meant?"

"Continue the War of Colors. Win more battles and conquer more territories in the name of Spades. We shall awake this man of premonition, and kill him at every chance you get." The little girl closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her chest, "This is a request from Queen Amebeth and a warning from Queen Elizia. Stand sturdy and stand tall. The three kingdoms will rain at you, the greatest king. You are the greatest lure and the greatest shield. Do not seek an unknown enemy; let it seek you whose name echoes through all."

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**...**

The morning sun scorched the grounds of the Spadanian castle as the day after the forfeited war came to Spades. It was not defeat since both sides withdrew from the battle. The royalties had traveled back to the castle, the Queen being subject to the trial of the Crown- which was way crueler than what he went through with his King and from the eyes of knights.

He was fastened by chains hanging from the ceiling, shackles adorning his feet. Not only he was cold and restrained, he was also scathed by the sharpest whips. The Archbishop and his bishops stood before the Queen with their cold eyes of judgment, trying to bestow complete death no matter what they find out from the Queen himself.

The Archbishop started to speak, "Arthur Kirkland, son of sorcerers, you had entered a place where your death is assured. I knew it that you were nothing ordinary the day you walked into the castle. You might have bewitched the King, the Jack and all of the aristocrats, but you can never deceive me. I, the greatest power of justice in Spades, the Archbishop shall sentence you death!"

"You, that came from the long race of blasted creatures, shall burn before the mass that you wished to deceive and imprison under such-" The second highest bishop began to chant, but Arthur spoke to interrupt him, "I do not know that I have this kind of power, Archbishop. And neither would I wish to use it against my own kingdom. I have done nothing wrong, and you have no grounds to try me because of treachery!"

"Existing merely as a sorcerer is already a crime, Arthur Kirkland, and setting foot in the kingdom of Spades-" The Archbishop answered in a great voice, only to be interrupted by the bursts of the doors. It was Alfred, Yao and the oracles' maid, the King exclaiming, "Stop the trial, and that's a message from the oracles!" The Archbishop twitched and watched the oracles' maid walk to him, "The oracles request of your audience, great council of Spades. We shouldn't keep them waiting." The great council left with a scornful frown, partially watching the King and the Jack in releasing the Queen.

"What happened? What did you do?" Arthur spoke as he started hurting from all the wounds he had. Alfred carried him bridal style and took him away without any knight interferring, "Let's just say I made myself important to the oracles. Just as you are, Arthur. You're more important what you think."

Arthur leaned against the King's chest and listened to his heartbeat until he drifted into unconsciousness, "Thank you." And as he said those words, it felt like he was resting- only to find himself in the room of the Queens' Maze. However, there was no one in there but him. He frowned and wondered about the candle that he was holding and looked around the three mirrors before him.

"Hello? Kiku? Lili? Elizabeta?" He called reluctantly and walked nearer to the mirror where Elizabeta should be. However, an image came to him as he touched the mirror. It was a beautiful woman in a cerulean dress, hair of golden brown and eyes of cherry red. She smiled at the male before speaking, "How wonderful to finally meet you, Arthur. You're quite a fine man- though lost in the realm of the Maze."

"I don't understand. Have Alfred opened the entrance-?" He was then interrupted by the woman's shushing, "Sweet Alfred wasn't the only one who had control over the entrance of the Queens' Maze inside your head, Arthur. And it seemed like the Maze had resonated with you now that you have awakened your power. Ah, sorcerers, them who are vanquished from their own homes- trapped in villages outside the civilization of Spades. Them who have lost everything after Crowning."

"I still don't understand-" The Queen tried to speak, but he kept on being interrupted, "You will never understand, Arthur. Not now that you are still naught but a weapon to the Crown of Spades. Grow more and become more than what they thought you ever were. In time, you shall understand- the sin." She grew sad and vanished, "The sin that I, Amebeth and Britannia had done to you."

**...**

**End of Chapter 5**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on!


	6. Sorcerers of Spades

More and more mysteries come up as Arthur gets to stay Queen longer. Welcome to the sixth chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Arthur Kirkland, a male- a merchant- now a sorcerer. He seemed to have all sorts of irregular pieces of identity which contradict the very definition of what a Queen of Spades should be, and it kept on surprising everyone.

However, Alfred decided to know for himself if Arthur could be trusted before risking his life to disturb the oracles. Soon, they seemed to be convinced that they need to protect the Queen from the actions of the great council.

More than that, it was revealed to the King that Arthur was way more important than just a crowned queen. He seemed to be a needed piece in reversing the premonition that was told for more than nineteen years ago.

And now, it's time for Arthur to know what he is to the eyes of Spades and the whole Land.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Every move of his muscles caused pang to run across his body. Arthur was lying down his bed, still covered in multiple cuts that were inflicted by the whips back when he was held by the great council. It did seem that being a sorcerer was a crime by itself, but shouldn't 'not knowing' alleviate it a bit?

Instead of the other attending maids, Alfred was there cleaning the body of his Queen. Blood was slowly oozing from his cuts, and minutes more, it could get infected. Arthur could only look down at his bleeding chest and tear in pain as Alfred ran the cloth over his body. The King then reached out to caress the other's face, "Don't worry, Arthur; I'll help you. Just wait for me to finish cleaning you."

"What are you going to do?" The Queen whispered, restraining his chest to move much because of breathing. However, Alfred didn't answer. He became too busy attending to the blood. But his eyes and mouth were smiling, orbs glistening and lips curved with fascination and excitement. After some more minutes, the King finished and dropped another bloodied cloth on the floor next to a bucket filled with warm water. It seemed like Arthur's body was ready for the next step.

It was supposed to be unnecessary, but Alfred started stripping off his vest, tie and shirt to Arthur's bewilderment. The Queen was only watching his 'husband' climbed on top of him, soon caressing his sweaty forehead.

"Listen, Arthur. What I'm going to do is a secret we have to keep from everyone else. Even Yao doesn't know about this. But in order to keep my stand under the protection of the oracles, I have to keep you alive and well. And that means- having the time reverse the damages to your body." Alfred leaned down to kiss the Queen's forehead before pulling back. He flattened his right palm against his chest, only to pull out a blue orb at the size of his hand from it. The blue orb then morphed into a blue spade-shaped clock with hands that were moving slowly, clockwise.

Arthur stared at the clock intently, only to notice its hands began to move counter-clockwise. At the same time, a big circle with foreign symbols descended from the height of the King's head. The same circle drew on the King's chest with blood, the center where the clock came from. In the process, Alfred's eyes lit bright blue- like how a sorcerer's eyes would as they cast a spell.

The circle descended to Arthur, and his wounds started to heal faster than it should- even with a magical regeneration. He could also feel the pain from the open wounds receding, the lightheadedness dissipating. He was feeling healthy like how he would feel hours before the battle: completely well.

The clock stopped moving, and its image faded back into the King's chest as well as the two circles. Alfred gave a heavy sigh and ended up sitting on Arthur's legs in fatigue. His body slouched and weakened, his breathing appearing to be harder than usual. Sweat began to drip from his forehead; the King's vigor was drained in seconds.

Arthur tried to lift his torso to attend to the King, finding it easier to move. His body's energy was also restored, but his mood was still down because of the toll on Alfred's body. He then reached out to hold Alfred's face but stopped halfway, "Alfred? Are you alright?"

"It's a normal thing to happen. My body couldn't handle magic that long. Besides, it was basically a high grade spell; I'm just lucky I didn't collapse." Alfred almost whispered while trying to catch up to the sudden exhaustion. After talking, he got off the Queen and lied down next to him, "Looks like taking care of you was quite a task."

"This will be the only time." Arthur frowned at the King's sudden change in tone. However, he proceeded to sit up before caressing Alfred's locks that stuck to his sweaty head, "I'm really sorry. You wouldn't need to do this the next time."

Alfred only stared at him with a small smile before closing his eyes. Before they knew it, Alfred's consciousness drifted away.

**...**

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 6: The Sorcerers of Spades**

**...**

It was the ever-familiar stoned walls of the secret room in time and space. Arthur was standing before three mirrors yet again, holding a candle as he waited for the presence of the three other queens. He knew he had a lot to explain to them, yet he had to know what the other queens were up to in relation to the feared siege planned by his very own King, Alfred.

Light came from the one to his left, the young Lili decorating her sweet face with a warm smile. She then spoke in glee, "I'm glad to see you again, Arthur. I feared you were slain by your own Crown. But then again, where were you all this time? Two months had passed since we last talked."

"I apologize, Lili. There were things I had to attend to."

Another light came by before him, and Elizabeta stood before him speechless. Her eyes had mixed emotions, and glee was not one of them. Her hand holding the candle was slightly shaken, and her lips were pressed in a line. She did acknowledge Lili by nodding towards her, but her gaze went straight and pinned at Arthur.

"I am aware why you eye at me like that, Elizabeta." Arthur spoke as he broke the silent tension rising from the two queens of the Black Suits. Lili only stood there in worry about the two queens on her side mirrors.

Soon, the last mirror was lit with Kiku's candle, and they went transported in a more fantastical room where they were thought to physically interact with each other. Likewise Elizabeta, Kiku was quiet and left gazing at Arthur. Both silent queens had thoughts ready to be translated into words, yet they seemed to hesitate.

"Arthur, I don't understand. Did something happen between you, Elizabeta and Kiku in such short span of time since we three last talked?" Lili voiced her confusion, demand evident in her voice. Arthur turned to her with a bitter smile, "Spades and Clubs clashed again around our borders, but an accident happened and-"

"How, Arthur? How were you able to wield such creatures born from sorcery?" Elizabeta interrupted the male queen, her hands balling into tight fists. Needless to say, Lili gasped in surprise, and Kiku flung her gaze from Elizabeta to Arthur and back to the Clubbish queen again. Arthur caught Kiku's action, making him twitch because of a thought.

However, he decided to deal with the presented matter at hand, "I- I have no answer for that. It just happened. Apparently, I- I am a sorcerer, but I swear I had no knowledge of that."

"Arthur's a sorcerer-" Lili whimpered in fear and denial. The only consolation he could give the child was an averted gaze.

"I don't understand. Sorcerers were supposed to be gone years ago. They were all wiped out during the campaign of Crowning." Elizabeta frowned as she loosened her guard. She then turned to Kiku to ask, "The only people who wield special powers left are the fortune-tellers, am I wrong?"

Kiku only nodded in response, and she eyed at Arthur again, "Things are getting clearer now- and more dangerous than what we all ever imagined. Having a queen of such descent and power, Spades is indeed trying to take over. With a sorcerer by their side, their military power would double, and they would be more brutal and blood-hungry than they are now."

"Pardon me, Kiku, but it seemed like you wanted to say more than that. You were also shaken, but you know not about my being. What is causing you fear?" The Spadanian queen responded to the Heartenese queen's supposed encrypted message. Kiku could only avert her gaze and shake her head in disappointment.

"Arthur, I saw it. The dream Queen Sakuya had dreamt before."

"The one with the man from Spades?"

"Indeed, Elizabeta. Only clearer and more vivid." Kiku then eyed back at the Spadanian queen, "Arthur, it was indeed the King of Spades, Alfred Jones, who raised an army to overthrow every kingdom, even his own, in our Land. It was he who will bring forth a world of chaos. He must be stopped now; he must be killed."

"Unbelievable. Alfred will never destroy the reality he adored more than his own life. All he ever wanted was to cease the war- by winning it." Arthur frowned at the revelation, defending the vision of his own king, "This war had been detrimental to everyone born under its reign. How would someone who envisions such order bring forth chaos to ruin everything we ever knew?"

The three other queens looked at each other before Elizabeta answering, "Arthur, you're no aristocrat to see the odorous world we thrived in. Nothing could be as pure as what you think. Spades only craved for power and nothing more. Your Crown would nonchalantly coat their greed with visions of peace and order."

Arthur disconnected gaze with the three other queens before him. She was right when she said he did not know the Spadanian Crown enough. However, he eyed at them with stubborn eyes, "You're correct. I might be wrong, but I might be right as well. You cannot taint my loyalty to Alfred by mere discussions and sheer belief. I will protect him at all costs!"

The Clubbish and Heartenese queens exchanged looks before gazing back at the Spadanian one. The Diamonden queen then spoke, "We understand the value you hold in protecting your king, Arthur, but we still wanted you to consider what's happening. If we are right, it will mean destruction to each of us living in the Land."

"I will stop him if he would be heading that way, but I wished to do it without the need to spill his blood."

"You could wish for that, Arthur, but you must not forget you could be against the king of evil."

"I am the queen of knowledge. I will have a way around him." Arthur gave Elizabeta a smug grin along with his sly remark.

"No matter how powerful he could be, the King of Spades is nothing but a human. One human could not withstand a battle with a sorcerer without intervention. Even if it comes to that, you had a higher chance in overcoming his power." Kiku hummed as she voiced her faint belief in Arthur, "Arthur, please remember we are nothing less than queens who aim for peace and order in our own lands. The death of the King of Spades is the only way to protect our subjects, yet you kept on insisting there is another way. I believe in the existence of a way we do not see for now, but I could only hope it would not go as far as putting yourself in harm's way."

"That-" Arthur curved his lips with a bitter smile, "That is something I cannot promise."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The sun had fled and hid behind the clouds, making way for the night to conquer the Lands. Dinner was served in the dining hall yet the two royalties failed to make it there, causing Yao to make the maids deliver the food to the room of the King.

Inside the room, Alfred and Arthur were asleep. The Queen only roused as he heard the door creak open along with the chatters of the maids. The Jack stood there to silently direct the servants. Dressed in his white shirt and trousers, the Queen sat up and earned the attention of the Jack.

"My Queen, did we wake you up aru?"

"I guess. Anyway, could you bring me my plate?" Arthur spoke as he hesitantly reached out. A maid came to serve him his dinner while still seated in bed.

The Jack walked towards the other bedside, seeing Alfred so deep in slumber. He asked the maids to leave them before asking Arthur, "Arthur, what happened to him? Alfred looked like life was drained from him aru. Did you do something aru?"

"I could only apologize, Yao." Arthur answered before he remembered asking something, "By the way, Yao. I just noticed everyone was so scared of sorcerers. I have not read about them in books I helped myself with in the library. Would you like to enlighten me?"

"Ah, it's been a really long while since I last heard of them aru. I could only tell what I know about them, Arthur." Yao sat down on the edge of Alfred's bedside, "Listen carefully aru; this might help you deal with the expected reaction from everyone else who knew you were a sorcerer aru."

Centuries ago, sorcerers walked the Land with the humans who were enslaved by them. The sorcerers were blood-hungry and cruel; they basically kept humans as pets and tools. However, no one really ruled this race until someone named Destro came into existence. He commanded every sorcerer who worshipped him to destroy all of humanity, clearing the world of such inferior species and starting a new world order.

That was when some humans, especially a King's hand with four sons, rose for the survival of mankind. It was a century of war- a war worth every life shed for freedom and order. The world was rid of sorcerers instead, and that world was marked by the crowning of the four sons as kings of the Land which was ruled by their father. The four sons partitioned the lands into what were known as its great kingdoms.

Three centuries had passed since the Crowning, and seeing a live sorcerer could spark another reign of terror in the hearts of the humans. The War of Colors was enough to frighten the people; a sorcerer could do more than just frighten them. The news might have not yet reached the Spadanian commoners and merchants, but Arthur should beware of anyone else to know this secret.

It only took Yao an hour to explain things to the intelligent Spadanian queen. Right then, Arthur was curled up in his bed, staring at his King's sleeping face. Alfred had not moved since he finished healing the Queen; the other queens were already too busy to loiter in the Maze by then. Arthur had nothing to do, nothing to think of without him being left confused, and certainly nothing beneficial to occupy himself with.

All he could do was to watch Alfred- every breath he took.

Giving up on just waiting, Arthur decided to take a stroll around the castle, seeing it at night for the first time in a while. He got up from the bed and left Alfred with just a kiss on his cheek. Putting his vest and coat on, the Queen walked out of his room and onto the halls.

The gigantic windows of their castle showed the utter darkness of the late evening in Spades. There were virtually no stars up in the sky thanks to the thin clouds which accentuated the darkness. The castle looked much gloomier and sinister under the moonless heaven. Most rooms had no lights, and most guards were in their posts in a more alerted state. Bonfires were at crucial points, and no castle staffs were to be seen.

"I believe you should not be walking around on your own, Your Majesty."

A voice spoke from Arthur's side, making the Queen turn to his right to see the head of the Queen's maid. She was wearing her cold stare, trying to not let her discomfort and scorn show. However, Arthur could feel it perfectly. He gave a small smile to the woman, "I'm sorry, I cannot sleep."

"Would you like to see the Queen's garden, Your Majesty? Perhaps it could help you relax your mind."

"Yes, please."

The head maid then gestured for him to follow her. The woman did not talk to the Queen the whole time they were walking, and the movement of her eyes often indicated she would not like to walk next to the sorcerer queen. Arthur was left to think how they would treat a normal queen- like the ones before him.

Soon, they reached the Queen's garden. It was a vast plain covered in beautiful roses and other vibrant-colored flowers. They were all swaying with the feeble wind blowing across the place. Arthur was undoubtedly marveled by the view, yet the coldness of the night and company made him feel less excited. With a quick glance at the woman, he began to walk across the field.

"Stories had it this place is Queen Amebeth's favorite resting place. Whenever she would doubt the oracles' wishes, she would sneak the young King Alfred in here for a story." The woman started to speak; her voice had become mellower upon speaking the deceased Queen's name, "These flowers witnessed the most of Queen Amebeth's time in the castle- as well as her uncovered plans to relay to the young king. King Alfred was not yet crowned by then, but he was treated more like a royalty during the reign of Queen Amebeth and her infamous sister, Queen Elizia. That was a reason why none of us had doubted King Alfred's skills as the King of Spades. We had always known he was destined to be a very great King."

"The queens under his reign- do you know why they died?" Arthur asked as he kneeled down to check the reddest roses in the whole garden. The head maid then looked around before answering, "Their deaths were accidents even though some said they were sacrifices to the King's major victories. There were also stories which describe their deaths as omens."

"Omens of what?" Arthur turned to the woman who walked towards him.

"Omens of the oracles' judgment. They said the oracles were looking for the rightful Queen to come and rise. They said the oracles were searching for the one who was perfect for the throne in this dreadful phase of the war. Whispers everywhere said the War of Colors is already coming to an end, and every kingdom is trying to put their best royalties in front lines."

"Whispers everywhere?"

"They knew, Your Majesty. They knew the man in the prophecy is already walking among us."

…

**End of Chapter 6**

…

Thank you for reading! Please review! My anon review is on! :D


	7. Royalties of the Red Suits

I just realized Gilbert is supposed to be the Red Joker- but too bad for him; I'm not changing it here. ^^ Someone told me about the paragraph thing so I'm just going to do it here. I'm too lazy to edit the last chappie. Also, they have additional armors when out there in the battlefield in contrast to pure fabric shown in their designs.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

It seemed like it was not only the Queen of Spades, but also the King of Spades was an anomaly. Alfred was able to turn back the time to heal the Queen's body in expense of his own vigor.

Soon, Arthur came back to see the other queens in the Queen's Maze, only to hear about two major matters they needed to hear from him: what he was, and why he should not kill the man in the prophecy.

In answer to his own doubts, Arthur asked Yao to tell him about the sorcerers and how they were considered menace. Also, he was lead to the Queen's garden, only to receive a revelation connected to Kiku's vision.

Another round of battle awaited the Queen of Spades; hence, another secret to be unraveled.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"KIKU!"

A jolly voice echoed across the room wherein the Queen of Hearts was resting. She was looking outside the window when a young man barged inside the room. However, instead of getting fazed, she happily greeted the young man with a small smile, "Good morning, Feli."

Kiku Honda, the Queen of Hearts for five years now. She was one of the queens who last participated in the Queen's maze meeting before Arthur was crowned. She was a fortune-teller like her predecessors, and she had seen visions about this said man in the prophecy as well.

The one who visited her was Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts. He was crowned three years ago, and had not been into a substantial battle with any kingdom. He mostly acted like the King's Hand though he did not make any big decision to date.

"Kiku! The royals of Diamonds arrived already! We should go and greet them!" He cheered in a childish way and waited for Kiku to stand and walk to him. The two then started walking along the hall to take them to the throne chamber of the Heartenese castle. Letting his brightness fade, he suddenly asked the Queen, "Kiku, you're going to fight Spades again, aren't you?"

"We must, Feli. It's for the sake of Hearts."

"I haven't met or seen the King of Spades. Is he really that scary? I mean, he had been slaughtering mostly everyone who gets in his way." Feli then turned to the Queen, "I remembered the last time we tried to gain control of their border."

Kiku only smiled and patted the Jack's head, "Fighting the King of Spades is more than just defeating a king. He is- he is much stronger than any Spadanian king we ever crossed swords with. However, Ludwig and our army are stronger than before. We do this to prevent our kingdom from being ruled by savages like them. We must fight to protect what's precious to us."

The Jack only stared back at her before whimpering with his head down as she walked ahead. Soon, Feli lifted his face to look at the walking queen. Kiku felt the weight of his stare and turned to see the Jack. He had an unusual determined look on his face.

"I- I want to fight to protect Ludwig, too, Kiku. Can I come with you for this battle?"

The Queen could only walk back to him, and hold his cheek with a kind smile, "We both know Ludwig wouldn't let you fight. Not against the Spadanian army, not against the King of Spades."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 7: Royalties of the Red Suits**

…

It might not be as extravagant as the proud and sophisticated design of Diamonds, the kingdom of value, wealth and prosperity, but the throne chamber of the Kingdom of Hearts was indeed a work of art. In contrast of Spades' gloomy and intimidating ornaments and Club's rich and simple marble work, the carvings in Hearts possessed the aura of vibrant life. It was quite the core of the kingdom which thrives in love, sacrifice and devotion.

The sight was charming even to the royalties of the Diamonds who came into their kingdom. They were greeted with such formalities, yet it all dissipated as they were left alone with the royalties of Hearts in the throne chamber.

The King of Diamonds then started the supposed casual talk. Francis Bonnefoy, the King of Diamonds for six years. He was both a romantic tease and a mischievous adult. Despite these surface behaviors, Francis was a man dedicated in giving the best for his Kingdom. However, at the moment, he was more focused in making it rise again after the destructive fire Clubs set, which ate most of their districts.

"I wished to chat with you, but we shall go down to business. We were informed about the premonition the Queen of Hearts had." Francis looked at the direction of the King and Queen of Hearts, "With a concrete image like this, I think we should stop the King of Spades from advancing now."

"We shouldn't let him get to the point where he could destroy our Land." The Jack of Diamonds spoke as well.

Basch Zwingli, the Jack of Diamonds for three years. He had this serious and tough front, yet he had soft spot for his little sister, the Queen.

Lili Zwingli, the Queen of Diamonds for two years and the youngest one to be crowned at the age of eleven. It seemed her pure heart and innocence were vital to the rise of their kingdom from its almost fall in the hands of Clubs.

"Please, we must do this now." Lili stood bravely in front of the three Heartenese royalties, "King Ludwig and Queen Kiku of Hearts, we are requesting for an alliance with your kingdom. We must put an end to the King of Spades before it gets too late!"

Kiku softly gasped before looking at her King and her Jack. Feliciano whimpered with a long 'veee', and then Ludwig just closed his eyes-

"I'm sorry, but the Hearts could not form an alliance with the Diamonds in an attack against Spades."

"Wait, why?" Francis spoke with confusion as most of them let out a soft gasp. Kiku and Feliciano only looked at him as the King of Hearts answered.

Ludwig opened his eyes, and then he spoke, "I heard about Kiku's dream, but I want to regard it as something more than just mere picture of future destruction. I know it is alarming for such a crippled kingdom like Diamonds, but I had seen enough of the King of Spades to believe he would not just destroy the current world order."

"You expect your belief to make us feel any safer? Are you scared to fight the King of Spades, King Ludwig?"

Ludwig Beilschmidt, the King of Hearts for three years now. He was crowned King at the same age as Arthur, and had been able to raise Hearts into a stronger military kingdom. He had won countless rallies against the three other kingdoms, and was named one of the greatest Heartenese Kings.

"Aren't you, King Francis?" Ludwig sighed and looked directly at the other King, "At this point of time, Spades is starting to use its cards, and this rumor about the Queen of Spades being a sorcerer. If we go on offensive, we would not know what Spades will do as a counterattack. It's better to go on a defensive for now, rather than to be losing men unnecessarily. Besides, Clubs is constantly attacking Spades; let's wait for them to draw out everything Spades is capable of before trying to attack-"

"If we wait a little longer, Spades might be able to grow stronger than what we could handle." Francis took a deep breath and walked closer to the throne, "You know the damage Clubs caused to my kingdom which paralyzed Diamonds for almost a year now. My people are starting to revolt; they think Diamonds have already surrendered to Clubs already. We needed to prove Diamonds had not lost yet, and an attack to the strongest kingdom at the moment will help us do that. However, my kingdom could not do it on its own; we need the Hearts' help."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

WHACK! The training sword flew off the Queen's hand as Yao parried an attack. His training spear's blunt blade suddenly went through Arthur's personal space and rested an inch before his neck. The two froze before Yao straightened and put his guard down, "What's wrong, Queen? Your mind seemed to be elsewhere, aru."

"I apologize." Arthur murmured as he walked off to pick up the training sword from the ground. Feeling planted on the ground, he looked around the audience they had in the courtyard.

Days passed when he was prosecuted by the Archbishop of Spades. It was days after he saw the King's gift of sorcery from an infamous queen. Certainly days after he saw this strange woman in the Queen's Maze. Up until now, he had not thought of everything that had happened around him and his own kingdom.

_'They knew, Your Majesty. They knew the man in the prophecy is already walking among us.'_

The words of the head of the Queen's Maid echoed in his head as he saw her standing from the veranda, their gazes connecting. What she said that night proved Arthur the man the queens are looking for is not Alfred. There was someone else who would bring forth−

_'…you will cause a revolution…. for this power you have will be dreaded more than the war.'_

Arthur shook his head as the words of the Black Joker came to him. Soon, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and a worried Jack next to him. He gave him a small smile, "I need to rest, Yao."

"I will walk you to your room, aru."

They trudged the halls back to the Queen's room, only to see Alfred already up and walking towards the courtyard. The royalties stopped, and then Alfred broke into a smile, "Arthur! Yao!"

"Aiya, Alfred− you should not be walking, aru. I'll put you back to bed as well." Yao walked to the King and tried to convince him to go back to rest. Arthur was only watching them talk from a distance, his gaze heavily weighed on his King's face. If he isn't the one ruining the world, why do the fortune-tellers see nothing but his face? Is this some kind of game Lady Fate is trying to play?

Alfred felt the gaze his Queen was giving him, enough for him to stare back at Arthur. Yao noticed as well so he spoke, "Arthur, you had been spacing out recently, aru. What are you thinking about?"

With a twitch, Arthur had panic written all over his face. Being questioned about something he did not want to say made him turn away from them. He then turned back and smiled, "Nothing really. I feel so tired thinking about things. I might be overthinking- yes, I must be."

"Arthur."

The Queen looked directly as his King spoke in a serious tone. Alfred then spoke as he walked towards him, hand soon cupping at the Queen's cheek, "You need to focus. Another battle is coming. This time, we'll be pulverizing Hearts AND Diamonds. They are marching towards our borders, but we plan to stop them around the land bridge miles away from the seventh district."

"Another one, huh." Arthur sighed and held Alfred's hand, "I won't do anything stupid again this time."

"No, let's see if you can control it now."

"What?" Arthur twitched and looked at his King's eyes. There seemed to be a mischievous smile on his face, yet a malicious glint could be found deep within his gaze. Alfred then continued, "Let's see if you can control those hands you summoned back then."

"But−"

"We need everything we have to win against them, Arthur." Alfred smiled more and walked off to a direction, "Come with me, Arthur. I know a place we can practice. Yao, I need you to secure this place."

Yao only sighed, "It seemed he listened to the voices again."

Voices? Arthur looked at the Jack who instinctively walked to follow the King. Once again, the Queen saw a glimpse of his fearsome King, but that wasn't what terrified him inside. He listened to the voices− these could be the same voices who knew. Does Alfred know Arthur's more powerful than the Crown thinks? Is he intending to use it against every other kingdom out there trying to claim his head? Are these voices something he should protect Alfred from as well?

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Like the first battle, everything turned ugly and bloody. The knights of the Spadanian crown were more aggressive than normal- and the thick determination of the Heartenese and Diamonden knights made it worse. Battle cries were everywhere and had been roared amidst the screams of pain and agony.

The main targets were the royalties as always, and Arthur was not oblivious of that. He managed to kill some knights who were attempting to do the same to him. However, he was more worried about Alfred; he just recovered from a very heavy spell, and right now, he's facing the formidable King of Diamonds.

"I will never forgive you, King of Spades." Francis hissed as their swords clashed, and one overpowering neither.

"Is this about your previous queen? The one I killed?" Alfred smirked and swiftly tilted his sword to slide Francis' down, making an opening. He swung the sword, but Francis was able to dodge the slash. The Spadanian King's sword was then grabbed, the opponent swinging his sword to cut him. Alfred used his arm to block the inevitable, the blade trying to make a way through his gauntlet.

Electric shock. Alfred felt electric shock disrupt his bodily movements. There was something flashing before his eyes, but he couldn't stop and let it get him killed. As he tried to take back his sword and get rid of the blade against his arm, the vision ensued.

_"King of Spades, this day will mark the fall of your blasted kingdom." It was undoubtedly the King of Diamonds speaking, yet he was on a wooden floor- perhaps a makeshift stage. He unsheathed his sword and lined it against Alfred's neck. He stared at the other king for a long moment, eyes widening in confusion and dread. Soon, he was set on fire. Everything was._

Alfred was able to knock the blade off and pull his sword from Francis' grip. He stepped back to regain distance and enough space to move. He held the side of his head, consoling a headache that came after the vision. He then shook his head, soon smirking at the other king.

"I can't wait to set you on fire, Francis."

The Queen was a bit distracted by his King's actions, and decided to run towards him just in case. However, he was intercepted by someone who lined a sword on his neck from before him. The man was built well, and stood dignified while covered in blood. The Queen frowned at him as he tried to step back to escape the blade; however, the other one moved forward to keep distance.

"So it's true. Spades have a male Queen."

"King of Hearts." Arthur hissed as he was calculating his next movements. If he acted too soon, Ludwig could easily counterattack him and pierce him dead.

"I also heard you're a merchant before getting crowned. Let's see how well your hand is with a sword." The king taunted him and started attacking, being a stronger opponent than anyone. He was around the same level as Elizabeta or better. It didn't really matter; Arthur was against someone he couldn't defeat.

In one slash, he was able to break Arthur's sword. He then knocked the Queen down and moved to stab him straight in the heart. The sorcerer Queen only watched, eyes widening in dread.

_"Don't hesitate using your powers, Arthur. You're not just simply showing off; you're saving your own life." 'Alfred.'_

"I refuse to die." He mouthed.

Blaze! The air suddenly turned hotter than normal, effectively making the king instinctively dropping the sword. He stepped back as well, watching the sorcerer get up from the ground. The temperature continued to grow exponentially around the place around them, alarming the king. Soon, Arthur's eyes lighted-

Burning the whole area within the red circle which suddenly drew from Arthur's feet.

Ludwig rolled out of the burning circle, instinctively throwing his cape that had caught fire. The nearby knights also stepped back in trying to avoid the circle of raging fire. It was soon diminished; Arthur emerging unscathed from all the fire that engulfed him.

With his eyes still lit, he reached out a hand towards Ludwig's direction. A red circle with weird writings appeared before his hand again, soon having a tower of fire gush from his hand towards the king. The Heartenese king was frozen in surprise so he didn't move an inch. However, the tower diminished before actually burning Ludwig, just now hot air blowing on his face.

Arthur then huffed and bit his lip, "I'm not done yet."

Ludwig brandished his sword again, "That's a relief then."

…

**End of Chapter 7**

…

Thanks for reading and waiting. QnQ Please review. I badly needed it. I'm struggling with not turning people into Gary Sues- especially Arthur, but I'll explain the source of his powers later in the story.


	8. The Advent

I'm down to changing a very big turning point in this fanfic so I might not upload again without settling it.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The second battle Arthur will fight had come, and it was against a joint force of Hearts and Diamonds. It was built on the sole purpose of invigorating the people and honor of the almost fallen kingdom.

In addition to this, the queen also discovered about this certain voices that whisper to Alfred. These voices seemed to dictate Alfred things he should do, convincing Arthur to harness his powers as a weapon of mass destruction.

With this in mind, he found himself exercising his affinity with flame against the great King of Hearts in the battlefield. His skills were nothing compared to Ludwig, making him rely on a certain power he cannot control yet.

The second battle continued to rage like Arthur's flames. What else is there to burn in and out the battlefield?

…

**I am the Queen**

…

_It was a terrible nightmare. It was the destruction of Hearts. She knew for a long time that the King of Spades was the one who will destroy everything, but it was the first time she saw his face so clear- and so horrifying._

_The premonition started with Alfred standing over the walls of Hearts. He was laughing maniacally while eyeing at the castle, where she was. She saw herself in her own premonition, and it meant it will happen in her regime. As he stopped, he reached out his arms before him, holding out a red circle from the palms of his hands._

_Alfred just summoned dozens of towers of fire from his hands, ravaging the kingdom._

It was the same circle she saw. It was the same fire pillar that came and burned everything on its path. Kiku was so sure herself. How could Alfred summon such things- things that can only be done by a sorcerer like Arthur? If that was sorcery, and Arthur could do so, it only meant one thing to her.

Arthur will aid Alfred soon in destroying the world, and she needed to prevent everything from happening.

It's been days since Kiku saw the premonition vividly- a clear view on the face of the man who'll destroy everything. Upon its announcement, it seemed all the other kingdoms got gung-ho in bringing Spades down. The War of Colors was starting to be Spades against the world despite the fact that Clubs can strike at any red suit kingdom if willed by the crown.

However, this was not about Club's capabilities; it was about bringing Spades down: the man of the prophecy killed. The first step was, regrettably, killing his queen.

Kiku brandished her own sword and ran to launch an attack, joining her king in killing the sorcerer. It was as if Ludwig knew as he dashed towards Arthur as well.

The sorcerer continued huffing, nonetheless, eyeing only at the king before him. Reaching out his palms again, he had another circle before his palms. This time, they were the infamous green circles he once summoned- along with the monstrous hands which burned everything each touches.

The dark hands punched through the land and chased the Heartenese king as he dodged them. He tried to slash them, but his sword only went through the hands, causing them no damage. They would be able to burn Ludwig wholly, if only Kiku did not cancel her attack on Arthur to save him instead.

Fortune-tellers are a special kind of sorcerers. Most of them had the ability to see the future and foretell disasters and victories to come. Few of them are also powerful enough to see through multiple futures for a period of time, making them capable of knowing an enemy's next move. They can also channel a part of their life force to their weapons in order to counter sorcery. These particular skills are mastered by the Queen of Hearts, and she is not afraid to use it in many of her battles alongside her king.

Kiku slid her hand along the bloody blade of her sword, making it glow faintly underneath the thick red stains. She jumped and slashed down the dark hands preying on her king, effectively clearing them out of the way. She then aimed her sword directly at Arthur's direction.

"We could have been friends, Arthur, but now, I must destroy you."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno− Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 8: The Advent**

…

"Kiku." Arthur whispered the other queen's name. Both of them knew the reasons for this, even though Arthur only had a vague clue about it.

The King of Hearts brandished his sword as his queen brought down her arm. They then entered their stance, waiting for a certain inaudible cue to attack.

Arthur only looked at them, trying to figure out what he could do. He glanced at his broken sword on the ground once, knowing he could not possibly best them with his rusty skills compared to them. Looking back at the two red royalties, he needed to decide what would go next.

Before the Queen of Spades could decide, the two red royals dashed towards him to attack. The sorcerer could only manipulate the newly-summoned dark hands to catch the two. However, Kiku was taking care of the hands, creating multiple openings for Ludwig. The king got so close again, and Arthur was left with dodging the king's sword a bit sloppily since his life force was slowly being depleted by sorcery.

The King of Spades was being occupied by another red royal king, the King of Diamonds. They were exchanging blows, so much that their swords would crack at any second. Alfred could be so bent on killing Francis this time, which he failed to do the last time, but defeating this king was not his main priority right now.

Just one glance was all it took Alfred to know Arthur was in deep trouble. He needed to get away from Francis to save his queen, the last one he will ever had as he vowed. Instead of parrying an attack, he willingly let the other king cut along his left hand so he could swing around and get away from Francis' reach. The Diamonden king could chase him, but he did not count on that.

One Heartenese knight jumped on him, only to suffer from beheading as Alfred swung his sword overhead. He smoothly grabbed the knight's daggers as the knight fell down, and threw them at the two red royals preying on Arthur. One dagger drew a line on Ludwig's face since he dodged it effectively, yet one pierced through Kiku's left hand. The queen's scream was used as a distraction, Ludwig bitterly letting Alfred pass as both kings made their way to their queens.

Kiku shortly pulled the blade out before attacking the Spadanian queen again, Ludwig joining her. Alfred got to Arthur on time, and grabbed him by the waist, effectively carrying him out of the way. One miss made an opening for Alfred to Kiku away by the waist, throwing her away, yet his own had Ludwig had a heavy slash on his armed hand. The Spadanian King blocked the attack, and tried to use his feet again to get him off. Ludwig dodged the kick by jumping away, just in time Kiku would pierce his sword through Alfred's chest.

They all knew Alfred could not possibly do anything about it.

Yet, at that moment, Arthur managed to muster enough life force to attack again, summoning a red circle in a flash. He aimed at Kiku swiftly- and fired another fire pillar. This time, it didn't vanish quickly, engulfing the Heartenese queen in fire which swirled as fast as the wind's gust.

"KIKU!" Ludwig yelled as he could only watch his queen being torn apart by the flame.

The Queen of Hearts stepped multiple ones backwards as ear-splitting screams came from her mouth. Her eyes flew around wildly as if looking for something- or someone. Armor, clothes, and flesh were scraped from her until the fire pillar vanished- leaving a bloody, burnt human body that was once the Queen of Hearts.

In contrast to normal circumstances, the corpse stayed still and standing- eyes still moving.

The three royals stared at it in confusion- and more when peculiar lights swayed around her body. In an instant, the Heartenese queen was brought back into her flesh. No one could tell who was more surprised by this certain phenomenon. Kiku looked down at herself and at her arms, even her left hand healed. She did tremble at her spot, unknowing what just happened to her.

"I'm alive." She whispered as she lifted her face to see the reaction of the Spadanian royalties.

"Wait, the Queen of Hearts is a-" Alfred gasped softly, discovering another confusing matter. Arthur also noticed, but something more baffling just happened and needed to be comprehended first.

Ludwig walked and stood in front of his queen, his back against Kiku and his sword towards Alfred. He grunted, "Do not ogle at my queen, King of Spades." He then whispered towards Kiku, eyes on the Spadanians, "What just happened, Kiku?" However, he received nothing with the queen leaning against him in exhaust.

Francis made his way towards the four royals, secretly handling Kiku his cape. He eyed at Ludwig and then, sharply, at the black suit king and queen. Nonetheless, Alfred returned the gaze.

The Heartenese king looked around, seeing more and more red-suit knights fell to the ground. Ludwig then glanced at Francis before saying, "You win this one, King of Spades, but there will be another battle, and you'll fall."

"I'll wait for that and prove you wrong, King of Hearts."

Ludwig and Francis signaled retreat to their troops, and they instinctively ran off with the king scooping his queen. Like expected, the Spadanian knights cheered for the victory, yet their king and queen could not rest that fast.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

_It was a dark hallway, and someone was taking a brisk walk with a candle to light his way. His normal, creepy smile was still plastered on his face as he amused himself with the portraits on the wall. However, he heard a suspicious noise coming from a room which had its door suspiciously open as if inviting him in. The man warily walked in and called in his cheery voice if ever it was just one of the servants in his castle._

_"Is someone here, da?"_

_However, nothing responded. Ivan hummed loudly, until the light of the candle was blown out. Despite the surprise, he kept his gaze inside the dark room, knowing a presence just appeared. He walked further inside the room and saw another man sitting on one of the dusty chairs in the room._

_He placed the candle holder at a nearby pedestal and sheathed his sword slowly as he grinned, "Ufu, I did not know you can simply waltz in my castle, especially in the dead of the night, Alfred."_

_"Wasn't hard at all." The other man stood up and walked towards the Clubbish king. However, Ivan's supposed friendly face vanished as he spoke more seriously, "If you think you can deceive me, think again, da. Who are you? You're not who you want me to think."_

_"Ah, how amusing. You knew right away. Such a shame. I wanted to play longer." Complete darkness._

_"W-what's happening!?"_

Alfred's eyes shot open after another 'dream' as he would simply refer to them. He got up from the bed set for him and his queen at their small camp halfway their march back to Spades. His movement made his arm hurt from the wound he refused to heal through magic. He then looked at his queen who was- he was gone. Alfred gasped softly as he did not notice Arthur was gone. He quickly slipped out of the sheets and into his clothes to look for Arthur.

Walking through the gloomy camp, he soon found Arthur at the distant stream. He was sitting there with his legs against his chest, head buried in his knees. The king then sat next to him and whistled to get his attention. Arthur twitched and looked at him as the king spoke, "You fought well, Arthur, even though you were almost killed. Are you sorry for burning the Queen of Hearts?"

"Not really. It was war; it's inevitable. I'm just fazed by the fact that she was brought back to life instantly."

"She?" Alfred chuckled and lied down the grassy soil, "There's been a lot of mysteries piling up for us to understand, Arthur, but midnight is never the time to think. Let's go back to bed. We have a long march back to our castle."

"W-What are the voices telling you, Alfred?"

The king heard the soft voice of his queen along with his hesitation to ask. Alfred got up again to sit and stare at the queen whose gaze was at the slow-moving stream before them. The king answered, "Ah, the voices. They keep on telling me I'll win." He gently took Arthur's arm, which was wrapped around his legs, and kissed the knuckles of Arthur's hand, "We will win."

"Do they tell you about the prophecy? The man who will destroy everything?" The queen started to soften, stretching his legs a bit and putting his other arm behind him for support.

"That's the Queen of Hearts' job, not the voices'." Alfred slightly mused himself with his queen's hand.

"What else do they tell you then?"

There was a noticeable pause. "Multiple things I can't explain, but they will all lead to our victory nonetheless."

"Now that's very half-hearted." Arthur took his hand from the king and stared at him intently, "Are we going to survive this war?"

"We are the victors, Arthur. No need to worry yourself about that. For now-" He chuckled as he reached out to caress Arthur's hair, who turned away midsentence. Until a sudden, swift thing went through him and pinned him to the ground- causing a serious pang after.

Arthur flung towards him and gasped as he just witnessed Alfred bleed through his mouth. The king's trembling hands tried to land a grip on the sword that was pierced through his abdomen. It did not seem to be thrown to kill him, but to render him immobile since it was struck deep enough the ground as well. Blood started to ooze, and his consciousness was escaping him.

The queen tried to help him, yet he froze for a second before falling down as if losing consciousness himself. Alfred could only watch him, not moving to worsen the damage. However, he could not stop himself from hissing as the culprit appeared next to the queen.

"Who are you!? Why do you- argh!" Alfred did not get to finish as the assailant grabbed the hilt of the sword and moved it a bit to pain the king. He chuckled, "It seemed the two of you can tell the moment your gazes land on each other's eyes. What a touchy story, da."

"Don't talk like him, you-!" 'Ivan' moved the sword again, but this time, Alfred grabbed his hand and tightened his hold, hissing with hostility towards the supposed-not other king, "What do you want."

"What I'll get, King of Spades." He flicked the king's hand hardly which caused more pain to Alfred's body. He then carried the unconscious queen and walked away, "Savor being the King of Spades a little bit longer, King Alfred. Time will come, and everyone you ever love will burn before you."

"No- AR- ARTHUR!"

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"Ve~ The wound isn't here at all!" Feliciano murmured as he kept on inspecting the left hand of the Heartenese queen. Kiku sighed and only looked at Ludwig who was busy thinking about it as well.

The Heartenese knights and royals had marched back successfully to their castle, which was considerably nearer the plains where they fought with Spades. Right now, the six royalties of the red suits were gathered in the Queen's room as she was advised not to move around. They talked about the sudden regeneration which baffled everyone who witnessed it and those were told about it.

"This is quite alarming." Lili whispered, "It seemed another anomaly is cast towards us. Did you- did you notice anything strange before it happened, Kiku?"

"In fact, there was one strange thing that happened." Kiku turned to the young Diamonden Queen who was sitting next to her, opposite the Jack of Hearts, "I did not see him. He should have showed up when I was being burned alive, but he was nowhere to be found."

"He who?"

"The Joker of the Red Suits. I did not see young Peter anywhere."

The Diamonden King twitched at the comment, yet he kept quiet.

The Jack of Hearts then whimpered, "Ve! What if something bad happened to Peter!? He's supposed to come around if we- if we are to die. He did not come for you, Kiku?" Kiku only shook her head gently which caused Feliciano to continue passively panicking.

"Nothing could happen to the Jokers, Feliciano. They are Death." Ludwig spoke to calm down the Jack, even though he was not sure of that himself.

Lili and Basch only exchanged looks, the older brother trying to soothe his little sister with a stiff caress on her head. The Jack of Diamonds then asked, "What do you plan to do next, King Ludwig?"

The Heartenese king could only sigh, yet the Diamonden king murmured, "The anomalies are beginning to get worse. I feel that this war is not what it used to be. Perhaps, enemies of centuries ago are returning."

…

**End of Chapter 8**

…

Thanks for reading and please review! Maybe I should seek guidance from a published book writer about /that/.


	9. Grand Plan at Play

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Priorities were realized as the Queen of Hearts joined her king in attempting to kill the Queen of Spades. However, it came to the point where in the red queen was burned alive, only to horrify everyone as she came back to life.

After the retreat of the red royals, the Spadanian royal couple was seen discussing about some matters before another disaster came. Someone disguised as the Clubbish king went to immobilize Alfred and take Arthur away.

Back in the Heartenese castle, the red royals were chattering about the baffling scenario. The Diamonden king seemed to have a confusing assumption, yet he seemed not willing to explain.

With Arthur in the possession of a new enemy, secrets will float, and it's up to Alfred how to deal with everything.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The clear day in Spades did not reflect any of the turmoil the castle was going through. Right now, everyone was horrified by the news that the queen was kidnapped, and that he was taken under the supervision of the king. There were also knights and servants who were more mortified by the story of how Alfred walked back into their camp, bloody and awfully hurt with a fatal wound on his abdomen-

While dragging a sword graced by the emblem of Clubs.

Of course, this story leaked to the citizens of the kingdom. Everyone heard it from someone who heard it from someone else. The whole kingdom started to panic, not used to welcome back a King Alfred of Spades with a mortal wound.

Yet this was not the center of the thoughts of a certain woman who traveled to the castle with her eldest son. She was let inside the castle as soon as she was identified. They were dropped off in front of the castle, and were welcomed with utter suspicion and scorn.

It was a sorcerer's mother after all- the mother of the Queen of Spades herself, Britannia Kirkland.

She roamed the halls of the Spadanian castle on a wheeled chair, pushed by her eldest son. She wanted to see the king even though he was advised not to see anyone. Of course, the servants tried to stop her, but the Head of the Queen's Maids escorted her to let her through everyone who would dare.

They arrived in the King's chamber, seeing the Jack attending to the King and the Archbishop trying to lecture him. The three males looked at the newcomers, the Archbishop scowling, "It was clear that the King isn't taking any visitors-"

"King Alfred, meet the queen's mother, Lady Britannia." The Head Maid gestured to her as Britannia smiled at the bedridden king. She asked her son to roll her nearer towards the king before reaching out to kiss the king's hand as a sign of respect.

"Great King Alfred, I never thought there would be a day for us to meet." She smiled sweetly at him before closing her eyes and speaking in a more sincere and serious manner, "Let's skip the formalities, shall we? Is it true that my son, the queen, was taken when he was with you? Did you see who took him? Did they say anything to you- a plan perhaps?"

Alfred twitched and took a deep breath before answering, "Yes. It happened so fast, but he left me enough clues to where I could find Arthur. He didn't say anything about why, Lady Britannia, but we'll find out soon." The king turned to the Clubbish sword resting at a corner of his chamber.

"I'll make him talk."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno− Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 9: Grand Plan at Play**

…

A soft groan was heard inside a dark chamber along with the clinking sounds of chains. Arthur roused from a deep sleep, only to find himself chained against the wall. He tried to struggle, only to see candles lit up the whole room. It was a bedroom, perhaps of a king or any royalty. Someone was sitting on the bed, cleaning what Arthur could make out as a blade, a dagger or a knife. By his side, there were two bodies piled up- lifeless and of servants of green hue. By then, Arthur knew where he was- even though seeing the man before him was quite a give-away.

"Don't worry, you're safe here. From discovery, that is." The man chuckled as he put away the bloodied cloth used to clean the dagger. He stood and walked towards the queen, soon lining the dagger against the other's neck, "My, my. Such a beautiful child."

"King of Clubs." Arthur hissed at him, scowling at the maniacal expression on the king's face.

However, the king just laughed out as he walked away a bit to turn around as if showing him his totality, "Ah, I'm such a good actor indeed. It seems only that ferocious beast of a king can tell that this man is not his dear friend anymore. Everyone is so convinced that warfare at such a young age can change someone overtime."

"What?" The queen whispered as he watched the man walk back to him again, "You're not the King of Clubs?"

"Physically, I am him, my dear," he pricked Arthur's neck with the dagger, making blood drop from the small cut, "but soon enough, I will be myself again. I won't need any vessel. I can raise my own kingdom and eradicate everything else that refuses to be mine."

"You're- you're the one from the-"

"From the premonition? Yes, thanks to Queen Sakuya, all kingdoms are in war with one another," he scoffed as he twirled the dagger in his fingers, "but because of that premonition, the oracles knew what was coming. They lined everyone to be royals so that when it comes, they would be in their strongest." He then chuckled as he drew a shallow cut on Arthur's face, the queen hissing in return, and he spoke again, "Sadly, they made a mistake. They made **you** Queen."

"M-Me?"

"If you only knew how hard it was for me to find you. I traveled from Hearts to Diamonds, to Spades, and finally to Clubs just to find you. You were hidden by your fraudulent creator, yet I was able to find you when you first used your magic- no, **my** magic!"

"I don't understand-"

"You don't need to understand, Arthur. All you have to do is say yes, and I will take all of that unwanted sorcery from your very body. I will turn you into a human- incapable of magic or anything special like it."

"I refuse. Giving you your power will make the premonition come true-"

"And that is what you are made for!" He screamed, striking at Arthur's left arm with the dagger digging so deep through his flesh. The queen screamed in pain, and then the man grabbed his face, making Arthur face him again, "That is what this body is made for, Arthur. This fragile, magical body is made to contain every piece of sorcery left in the world after the Crowning."

'Ivan' violently let his face go and walked around again, "You see, after I was released from the seal, I felt so weak. So small, so- so not me. I was a great sorcerer: one that humanity feared the most! Right now, I'm- I'm nothing but a spirit inside this big-boned baby who can crush people. But that will change."

He held Arthur by the neck again, "Once I get my magic back, I will be finally reborn."

"W-Who are you?"

"I-" He chuckled before grinning maniacally at the queen, "I am the end of mankind."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"But when is it going to happen, King Alfred? With your condition like that, you will not be able to even leave your chamber." Britannia asked the vowing king, making him take a deep breath and try to mask the pain radiating in his body as he tried to move.

"We'll arrange forces to raid Clubs, my King." Yao spoke after exchanging looks with the archbishop, "For now, you should rest, aru. You just recovered from severe exhaustion days ago. It's better to stay recuperating longer."

"No. I need to go and save Arthur. You'll be facing Ivan- and no one else can stand up to him but me." Alfred insisted, trying to get out of his bed.

The Archbishop scowled at him and spoke, "My deepest apologies, my King, but you're in no condition to fight even the worse squire. It's better if you rest. His majesty, the Queen, can fend for himself." However, the king managed to stand, though he had to use the archbishop and the eldest son's assistance.

Knocks came to the door, and a servant came in with her head bowed, "King Alfred, the messenger of the oracles has come. They wished for your audience."

"The king is in no condition to-"

"It's alright. This is nothing." Alfred managed to walk more steps, but Yao still came to assist him. The Head of the Queen's Maid took his coat and vest for the king, helping him put them on. The crowd seemingly followed him until the six reached the temple. However, upon arrival, it was surprising that Yao, Britannia and her son were also invited inside. The archbishop scowled in confusion, yet the head maid only bid them goodbye.

The four reached the main altar of the temple where the girl known as the oracles are waiting. The four gave respect, yet Alfred had to cut to the chase. He started, "Oracles, I haven't failed you yet. I will take back Arthur-"

"Alfred Jones, King of Spades, you might have been too late. Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades, is no more." The little girl opened her eyes, the place shaking in the madness of the oracles. Yao looked around, slightly in fear of the wrath of the 'holy ones'. However, Alfred could only stare at the girl, not believing what they just said.

Britannia then spoke to divert the oracles' attention to her, "Perhaps, you're wrong, oracles. Schrott must have been weakened a lot, but hiding from your eyes is something he could do with minimal magic. If he cannot do so, why haven't you found him for almost twenty years?"

The little girl titled her head a bit and stared at her. She then straightened, yet continued staring at her direction, "Britannia Kirkland, the youngest of the Sisters, how certain are you? Do you truly believe Schrott is behind this?"

"No one else would want to go through heights just to get their hands on Arthur- alive." The mother seemed to speak without fear towards what Spades considers the closest things to gods, "As long as you cannot feel an ominous presence, it would be safe to assume Schrott had not revived himself yet."

"Schrott- the Last King of the Sorcerers Schrott?" Alfred whispered.

"Schrott Fleisch, the Last King of the Sorcerers, was the same sorcerer king humanity defeated before Crowning. Unfortunately, he was just sealed and not killed by the One True King. Almost twenty years ago, he was freed- and now he would hunt down Arthur in order to truly revive himself. As he is, he's just a spirit who can shape himself and has a few magic tricks under his sleeves." Britannia smiled briefly at Alfred as she explained.

"Then that was what he is." Alfred bit his lower lip in madness, remembering the night Arthur was taken.

"Alfred Jones, King of Spades, perhaps the last living Sister is not mistaken. We want you to find the Last King of Sorcerers, Schrott Fleisch, and bring back Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades, alive."

"Relieve him." The little girl, Alfred and Yao turned to Britannia, "Relieve him as his duty as the Queen of Spades, oracles. As long as he is a royalty, he can never escape Schrott's eyes."

"It's too late, Britannia Kirkland, the last of the Sisters. He could never escape the eyes of the king sorcerer now that he was discovered. The Crown of Spades needs him."

"The War of Colors is over. Now's not the time to continue waging war for your interests! Give me back my son!"

"Son? You dare call a mere shell made of magic your son?" The little girl stood up from where she was seated, "Queen Amebeth promised Arthur to the Crown, and we will harvest his magic and his very body for the glory of the Crown!"

The rage of the oracles shook the temple again. This time, it was less controllable. The pillars, the beams and the roof were already moving. Alfred slightly panicked as he witnessed the temple's sturdiness bowing to the anger of their almost gods. However, he twitched as he watched Britannia stare at the little girl without the slightest trace of terror in the face of the raging oracles.

"Mother, we should leave." The eldest son whispered to his mother, and then Britannia took a deep breath.

The mother spoke, "Amebeth was glorified so much that her selfishness is being covered by gold and glitter. I will let Arthur decide whether he would wish to continue serving the Crown. For now, I want him back in Spades. It will be all a waste if we would not be able to even salvage him from Schrott."

Decreasing slowly, the intensity of the shaking came to a stop. The flaring oracles sat down again, and calmly turned to the king, "Come here, King of Spades. We shall grace you with healing. No matter what happens, you need to bring the queen back to his kingdom."

After a while, the four walked out of the temple unscathed. Alfred, who was back to his normal shape again, stared at the mother who was silently weeping. Her son was consoling her until the king walked in front of her. She lifted her face to see him, yet Alfred kneeled in front of his queen's mother.

"There's a lot that I do not understand, Lady Britannia. How could Queen Amebeth promise a child that she does not know of? What do they mean by 'a shell made of magic'? What- what is Arthur really?" He whispered, seeking answers from the woman whom the oracles know and who is not afraid to stand up against them.

"The answers you seek are complicated on their own, King Alfred," was all she answered.

"Lady Britannia." The four turned to see the return of the Head Maid, "I believe you have seen what you seek from the Crown. Shall I call for a carriage to take you home?"

"I wish to stay until my son returns. Could you make reservations in the capital instead?" Britannia gave her a bitter smile, knowing that she doesn't have much time to spend in the presence of the king.

Alfred scowled at the exchange and said, "No, she'll stay at the castle. I don't see anything wrong with her staying there given that she is the queen's mother."

"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty, but Lady Britannia is forbidden inside the castle by the virtue of the orders of the late Queen Elizia. Forcing an audience with you is the only consideration I can give."

"Queen Elizia, too?" Alfred twitched, and then looked at Britannia, "How did you know them, Lady Britannia? I knew them since I was a child, and they never mentioned about you."

"King Alfred, meet Lady Britannia, the youngest sister of Queen Amebeth and Queen Elizia, one who shed her appointed aristocracy away to live far from the jurisdiction of the Crown of Spades. Lady Britannia, meet the King Alfred of Spades, only son of the Jones, protégé of the great Queen Amebeth." The Head Maid re-introduced them to each other, "My deepest apologies for not introducing you properly. I believe the Archbishop will not fancy hearing about any of those."

The king and the jack exchanged gazes in shock, only to be dispelled as Britannia went to take the king's hand. Alfred looked at her as she smiled bitterly, eyes on his hand, "I know there is a lot to be done now, King Alfred, but please, put Arthur first. Please get my son away from Schrott. Please take him back home."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The mystical room boxed with stone walls and a big mirror came to life again as the queens from the red suits entered the maze. They both noticed the weird stance of the Clubbish queen: emotionless face, unmoving, and forehead pressed against the mirror. It also seemed that she did not notice the two other queens until Lili called.

"Queen Elizabeta?" Her sweet voice reached the black queen's earshot, making her lift her face to see the other two mirrors reflecting the two queens from the red suits.

Elizabeta straightened and lightly chuckled, fixing an uncomfortable muffler that was not there before, "I'm sorry about that. I'm just- tired. Is Arthur coming? Was he there when you went to kick the ass of the King of Spades?"

"Yes. In fact, he developed a new power. He can now summon fire pillars to burn everything in its path." Kiku softly answered, wary of surprising the Clubbish queen about her revival yesterday. "However, I cannot get to him again today. Perhaps he was blocked from the maze again."

"Blocked again?" Elizabeta frowned; however, she cleared it immediately, "I see. Just when I wanted to talk to him for once. I just wanted to make sure he will be alright."

"Did something happen, Elizabeta?" The youngest queen whimpered, as she was so convinced the other queen was enduring something. The Queen of Clubs was normally strong and composed; it was the only time she has seen her like this. With the anomalies at hand, she wanted to make sure she was okay; they were like friends anyway.

Elizabeta was about to respond when the stone-walled room felt like shaking. The three queens grabbed the mirrors as they balance themselves, only to be transported to the pseudo-physical phase. They kneeled to keep themselves from stumbling. They only looked at one another until the wall-like surface broke with a large crack. Soon, a figure came out from the crack, feeling all weak, yet a victorious smirk drew on his face.

"So this is the Queen's Maze, huh."

…

**End of Chapter 9**

…

Thanks for reading, and please review! We're almost halfway the story- since I have a concrete flow for this one.

I really need review for this one! ;A; Yes, Schrott won't have a physical body of his own so no need to actually see a different character. n.n


	10. The Siege of Clubs pt 1

It's been a long while. Please don't kill me for this~

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way. [Character death for this chapter.]

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The day in Spades was welcome with the arrival of Arthur's mother, Britannia in the lands of the Spades. She was given immediate audience with the wounded king, where she argued about how the king could save the queen.

Soon, they were summoned by the oracles, only to have Alfred listen in to the true nature of Arthur's existence to the Crown as well as the story behind Britannia's involvement to the other queens.

In an unknown chamber, Arthur woke up in the presence of the person who possessed the Clubbish king. He was also briefed about what this man wants from him, leaving questions inside his head to which Alfred had answers.

Right now, an invader came to the Queen's Maze, bringing another declaration of war with him.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The three queens eyed at the man peering from the crack with disbelief. It was the first time a non-Queen was able to access the Maze- even though the access was forced. Kiku could only shake her head to forget the shock and tried to stand up despite the rambling of the ground.

"What are you doing here, King of Spades!? How did you get here!? This is a sanctuary for queens alone!" The Heartenese queen spoke, earning the attention of the intruder.

"It doesn't matter how I got here." The king answered, yet slowly getting out of breath, "I came here to deliver a message, more like a threat." He held the crack to retain balance, one hand pointing at the Queen of Clubs, "I'm declaring a direct assault on Clubs today! You shouldn't have taken my queen away f-from me!"

Alfred grabbed his head once before continuing, "If you don't willingly give him back, I will- I will-" The king was weakening fast. "I will burn Clubs to the ground!"

"W-What?" Elizabeta gasped before trying to defend her castle, "We do not have the Queen of Spades!"

"Your king- or whoever you think he is- took Arthur." Alfred tried to stand, the tremors worsening, "I think I made myself clear. Fear me, Queen of Clubs; you have not seen me really mad."

The king then ran off deeper into the crack, the tremors subsiding. Soon, they were transported back to the mirror rooms, confirming the disappearance of the king in the maze. Elizabeta could only give soulful looks to the two other queens before leaving the maze completely.

The Queen of Clubs woke up from her sleep, shooting up to a sitting position. She then pressed a hand against her face, groaning loudly. It seemed to be noon time, but she was still staying in bed. She was bare with only sheets covering half of her, making bruises and cut marks visible in her body. The worst one was the one on her neck, which appeared like a hand mark.

Surprisingly, everything looked new.

The man lying next to her noticed her sudden actions, and decided to get up as well. He reached for her back to take her attention, "Elizabeta, is everything alright?"

"I just had a nightmare. I'm going to take a walk. Just stay here, Roderich." She then leaned towards him, kissing his lips before leaving the bed. She slipped into her clothes, soundlessly flinching as her bruises hurt as she moved. She then waved at the man before walking out of the room.

Elizabeta took a deep breath and held her neck gently, slightly feeling the bruise. She then whispered to herself, "He took the Queen of Spades- a sorcerer. I don't care if he threatened me yesterday, but I must find him and take Arthur away from him-"

She straightened and walked as the same dignified Queen of Clubs. "He who took King Ivan's identity."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno−Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 10: The Siege of Clubs part 1**

…

Alfred rose from bed with a hand pressed against his head. He just broke into the Queen's Maze, first thing after setting a small camp along the way towards Clubs. They had marched right after he talked with Britannia and the oracles, seeing his mission as a race against time. However, his troops needed to take a break and eat their midday meal so they had to set up a camp. The king was not particularly hungry so he just slept, breaking in the maze while he's at it.

However, like any other high-level spell, this activity took a toll on his body. Another good amount of life force was used, but it was something he could regain along the way towards the luckiest kingdom. It would have been better if he did not come, but it was a basic law of warfare- only the scared and the weak charge unannounced.

Looking around, he did not find Yao inside his tent. He was supposed to be there, resting there with him. Anyway, he held his forehead as he tried to stand. He was mildly light-headed, yet he knew he would be back to optimum condition the moment they reach Clubs. He walked out of the tent and found his troops, enjoying the break.

"Your Majesty," A commander knight came to him and reported, "We're ready to go when you are. The knights have eaten and are already well-rested."

"Prepare everyone; we're moving out. I want to reach Clubs fast. We'll attack when the night sets in." Alfred spoke normally to hide his temporary weakening, his eyes on him briefly before he tried to find his Jack in the scene, "Also, did you see the Jack? I need to talk to him about something."

"I saw him at the back of the campsite, Your Majesty."

"Okay, do what you're asked." The king left, not letting the commander notice his sloppy trudging. The king shook his head once in attempt to deal with the weakness and headache. Soon, he saw Yao at a distance. He was holding a pigeon with a strange-colored collar, and it looked like he was whispering to it. There was a note rolled and tucked against one of its legs, making it a messenger pigeon.

Yao finished whispering and eyed at it momentarily before releasing it to fly away from them, towards the direction of Spades. The Jack then whispered, "I hope you'll get the note through this time, aru," loud enough for the king to hear when he reached him.

The King of Spades tapped his Jack, and then Yao flung to him. The king managed a smile, yet his eyes were glaring, "Haven't heard from someone lately?"

"I'm sorry, Alfred." Yao only whispered in response.

The king would ask, but he needed to be concentrated with his one task. He only eyed at the Jack before dropping the matter, "Let's talk about that non-Spadanian pigeon later. For now, we're getting Arthur," the king turned his back at him before talking, "and I need you to be there as my Hand. We've been together for quite a while, Yao. You know well enough not to betray me."

"I'm not betraying you, Alfred," was his assurance.

In contrary to Yao's words, the strange messenger pigeon flew all the way around the forest and rivers to ensure not being seen by any knight marching towards its destination, Clubs. The pigeon flew a long way until it landed on an open window sill in one of the towers of the Clubbish castle. The pigeon stayed there until a big hand took it and pulled out the note before letting the pigeon go.

_'It must be suspicious for me to send you this note right now, but he really wants you to return our Queen. He's desperate. Also, why aren't you responding to my messages?'_

"He must be writing this with so much anxiousness. So short and almost wrote the coded message in scribbles." The King of Clubs chuckled before he took his cup of wine from his table, relaxing in his chair. It was something he was not supposed to do, more likely when he knew the King of Spades was up to something− brutal.

The possessed king then snapped once near the candelabra on the table next to his bottle of wine. The wick ignited, and the unneeded light gave a yellowish glow to the objects next to it. He held the parchment over the flame, making it catch fire and burn until nothing was left but its ashes. He got up from his chair with his cup of wine, the flame dying on its own. He leaned against the window and sipped some from it.

"It must be so nice being the King of Clubs. Being feared by your power alone, yet you found some time socializing with the Hand of your one true enemy. Now I understand how carefree you were in roaming your own castle, not realizing someone could rob everything all of a sudden. You're still conscious deep inside, aren't you, Ivan?"

Schrott sighed with a grin and continued conversing with the life caged within the back of his mind, "You know, Ivan, I felt so good when I was extracting some energy from the Queen of Spades. You must have felt so powerful making such a strong person beg for mercy like that. I know I couldn't get all of it that way, but at least I can get some back. Enough to protect me from the rage of the other king. Alfred will kill me, you say? Would it alarm you if I say he will kill you as well if he does so? Then again, no human can defeat the king of sorcerers. I am Schrott, and I will end humanity."

He drank his cup empty before knocks came to the door. The door opened with a crack, revealing a determined green eye of the Clubbish queen. She spoke loud enough for her king to hear, her voice strong and brave unlike the last time she faced him, "I wish to have a word with you, Your Majesty."

Schrott walked to the table and laid down his cup before answering, "You may come in, my queen." He filled his cup with wine as the queen entered his chamber. She stood in front of the door, suspiciously in her armor. Schrott chuckled as he noticed she was staying quiet, "You look like you do learn, my queen. Good, good. You may speak now, Elizabeta."

"We received word that the King of Spades is heading towards our castle in search of his queen. He claimed that you have Queen Arthur of Spades. Do you?" She spoke with a strong stance, yet her mouth was shaking at some point. She was not scared of him, yet she feared what might happen.

Just yesterday, her king changed. He was more open in being brutal to his constituents and other nobilities unlike before. Two days ago, Ivan was more of what he was remembered to be by everyone in the castle. Yet yesterday, his attitude took a wild swing for the worse. He almost killed his queen by beating her up when she questioned his changes and suspicious decisions to suddenly invade Hearts.

"Would it bother you if I do?"

"What are you going to do to him?" Elizabeta's eyes glared way stronger than earlier, making Schrott annoyed by it. He walked away from the table to the female, the cup in hand. The queen balled her fists briefly before stretching her fingers in case she had to draw her sword all of a sudden.

"Don't look at me like that, my queen. You do know what's going to happen to you. I thought you're learning."

"Where is Arthur? Want do you want from him?" She unsheathed her sword, "How is Ivan involved in this?"

**I am the Queen**

Roaming around in his wheelchair, Roderich came to a room to where he brought a lighted lamp. It was already dark, the sky covered with a curtain called night. He knocked on the door and opened it slowly until the crack was wide enough for him to get in. The room was awfully dark; his lamp was the only source of light. He closed the door behind him before rolling his chair towards the bed concealed by curtains. Putting the lamp on a drawer, he stopped next to it and spoke, "Elizabeta, how are you doing?"

"I can't believe− Ivan can do this." The queen answered from inside the curtained bed, "I will never forgive him."

"I don't think it was still Ivan, Elizabeta." Roderich murmured before he drew a curtain with his fingers, shedding light on the queen, "How can you convince yourself it's still our king?"

She was in her undergarments, revealing most of her skin− and most of the cuts and bruises she received from the possessed king again. Her lip was busted this time, and one of her eyes was half-lidded due to bad bruising around her eyes. Once again, it was another held-back assault.

Her weakened eyes gazed at the Jack before tears rolled down her face, "What do you mean? It's still our king." She stifled a sob, carefully wiping her eyes with it. She was not crying because of the pain; she was crying because someone finally said it. It was detrimental for royalties to doubt each other so she was keeping herself silent until earlier, trying to forget this unshakable feeling the king was not the king she knew anymore.

"Months back, Gilbert came to see me about this peculiar feeling. That was when I realized something was happening to Ivan, but I could not point it out for I might lose my head. Listen to me, we have to−"

The Jack's plan was interrupted when a bell resounded along the corridors of the castle. The queen jumped off the bed quickly, enduring the pain of her predicament, to put on her clothes and armor. Roderich rolled towards the window and seeing knights ran towards a certain direction.

"They're here." Elizabeta spoke as she strapped her sword band around her waist, "Spades. The blasted King of Spades finally came to meet his end. Stay here and have something to protect yourself, Roderich."

"You're fighting the King of Spades in that condition? Is that a death wish, Elizabeta?" The Jack glared at her and rashness, yet she did not answer while putting necessary accessories.

The queen opened the door and looked at him over her shoulders with a helpless smile, "Don't worry, Roderich, I'll be back to you." Yet a whisper lingered as she closed it, "Maybe."

With that, she walked opposite where the knights were going, knowing that Spades was trying to be clever by attacking at night. She also thought of the frontal attack as a diversion, and she might know where the enemy knights could go. There was this place in the castle where the stationed knights could have been isolated under an attack. She grabbed a running squire and told him to call on knights to come with her. All knights who ran past her ran back to follow her as she heavily walked towards the supposed entry of the enemy. She was able to take some men with her by the time she arrived before a big double door. Even with an aching body, she kicked open the barred door− revealing the clueless guards. Before they could even ask what was happening, two separate arrows came to hit them dead. The queen unsheathed her sword and gestured the knights to attack, thwarting the supposed soundless infiltration of the Spadanian knights.

Blood bath painted the entrance as both sides clashed. Elizabeta was enduring the stress on her body as she diverted her fury towards the possessed king to the enemy. She was loudly groaning, delivering heavy slashes to anyone who dared to stand before her. She was more of a monster than she ever was, finding the lives of these Spadanian knights a perfect cooling agent.

However, she noticed someone ran past everyone else, successfully getting inside the castle. She flung her head to see this man covered in a dark cloak− slaughtering knights who were trying to stop him from inside. Her instincts roared inside her before she took off to chase the man. She never saw his face, but she could tell the King of Spades from the way he swings his sword.

Of course, Alfred was not oblivious he was being chased. He would fight the queen on the spot, but he had a more important task to do. He needed to find Arthur before anything else happens to his queen. He did not know where he could be, and he did not know who would be there to greet him. All he knew was that he needed to take him back home.

Elizabeta knew the castle more than Alfred would ever have. She seemed to know which hallways to take to get in front of the assaulting king. Instead of following him, she took another route around the castle. This misinterpreted action relieved the king for a while, making him start kicking doors down. Alfred was just going around to where his feet would take him, raiding every possible place where he could find Arthur. One time, he opened a room where the maids where hiding. They all cried and screamed for mercy, but he walked in and grabbed the youngest of them.

"A room where the King of Clubs doesn't let you go in, where is it?" He spoke monotonously, murderous intent written all over his eyes.

"A-Attic!" The maids cried in behalf of the one grabbed, making him throw the maid back to them.

He did not care slaughtering anyone; he just needed to get to where Arthur was. However, when he got to the staircase lobby, Elizabeta sent a jump attack at him. He rolled out of the way and glared at the state of the queen. However, she did not flinched under his gaze and continued attacking. He did not have any choice but to get rid of this annoying Queen of Clubs.

He brandished his sword while they both walk in a circle, wary of each other's attack, "Queen of Clubs, you could stand down tonight, and you're not going to die. Fighting in that kind of condition will get you killed."

"Are you afraid of me, King of Spades?" Elizabeta smirked before she launched an attack at him.

The two exchanged blows, something Elizabeta's body would not be able to handle for a long time. If only she was fighting for her king, she would have stepped down at that very moment, but she was fighting to protect the glory of their Crown. She did not want Alfred to just trample their sovereignty while he was just on a rampage to find a missing queen. She knew it was a big disadvantage, but she wanted to fight. What the possessed king did to her was not an excuse to forsake the Crown.

He was running out of time. Alfred was focused on the fight with the strongest queen alive, yet he was trying to see if the possessed king would be there. He could be running off with Arthur at that very moment. If he spent more time playing with a desperate kitty cat, he might just miss the chance to save his queen. He needed to end this quick, and the queen was begging for it anyway.

At one powerful swing against each other, Alfred broke the queen's sword. His swing missed her entirely though. Seeing an opening, she stabbed the king with her broken sword, but that attack got her caught. Alfred grabbed her by the hair and flipped her around until she was on her knees and back turned against the king. His sword was in the back of her neck, with her arms too tired to do anything anymore.

She held back the tears to roll down, knowing what could happen next. However, certain clapping came from the top of the stairs. Both royalties eyed at the figure, and they saw the King of Clubs descending from the stairs. He spoke with a imitation of Ivan's childish chuckling, "Ufu~ congratulations in invading Clubs, Alfred."

"Schrott." The King of Spades uttered a different name with strong resentment and disgust, making the possessed king smirk differently. As the other king unsheathed his sword, Alfred slowly swiped his sword through her, ripping the queen's head off her neck.

Tears rolled down from her eyes, the queen muttering a name of a man she would never see again.

The queen's body fell to the floor, soon followed by her head that was dropped from the king's hand. He then vigorously brandished his sword, taking the blood off the blade. The raging king pointed his sword at the possessed king, "Tell me where Arthur is, or I'll make your head roll down the stairs with this queen's."

…

**End of Chapter 10**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review! I badly need it right now.


	11. The Siege of Clubs pt 2

There will be more character deaths in the future. Should I shift the rating to M now?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Breaching the Queen's Maze, Alfred just declared war against Clubs. These led him to feel quite weak for a time, leading to his discovery of something his Jack was secretly doing. However, he dropped it for a later discussion.

The declaration racked the Queen of Clubs, making her go through another punishment from her possessed queen. It was relieving to know something was indeed happening to the Clubbish king, yet all was ruined by the assault.

Despite leading a strong front against the enemies, Elizabeta ended up fighting Alfred on her own. She fought with a weakened body, leading to her eminent death by the hands of the raging Spadanian king.

Before Alfred was the possessed king, yet he had no assurance this encounter will land Arthur back to his arms.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Sadly, the frontal attack was not a diversion alone. It was indeed another force to take down Clubs. Yao was leading it, and due to lack of preparation from the other kingdom (more that the king does not even care), the rival army was able to infiltrate them. The Jack sped inside and tried to look for both his king and his queen. However, he was intercepted by some knights trying to win a losing war.

He was not as well-known as his king in terms of fighting, yet he had always been one of the best fighters Spades had. He single-handedly took care of five knights all at once with his exceptional skill with spears. He advanced to the next corridor where more knights were waiting for slaughter him. However, the only luck they had was the royalty of Spades not having enough time to make sure they were all dead. He smoothly advanced through the corridors until faced by a single enemy.

Yao let his spear down, but not his guard. He glared at the enemy who was on a wheelchair, with a sword on his lap. He watched the enemy's every move as he spoke, "You used to be one of the fighters I would be very wary to meet, aru, but now, you can't even stand. It's such a shame a severe infection had to decay you while you're still alive, Jack of Clubs."

Roderich smirked briefly before running his fingers along the length of his sword, "It's such a shame indeed; however, I do not stand here to hinder your cause, Jack of Spades. You are here to retrieve the queen, aren't you?" He erased his smirk and stared directly at Yao's dark eyes, "He's for your taking."

"I don't understand, aru. Do you think I'll fall for a trap?"

"Trap or not, you'll go, won't you?" The other jack turned his chair around and rolled away, "He's in the highest point of the castle. I can't guarantee his life, but I can guarantee his body."

"Why? Why are you betraying your Crown?"

The jack looked at him and turned away, "The Crown had been long poisoned. The Black Joker had his doubts and suspicions. Take the queen away and never let− the King of Clubs get near him again." He opted to disappear around a corner, "Be wary of the knight in the corridors ahead. Take the east hallways to avoid most of them. You don't have much time before your king dies."

"What are you talking about, aru?" Yao followed him slowly, seeing him enter a room.

With glowing green eyes, Roderich stared at him, "I can see everything that happens inside this castle, Jack of Spades. Hurry and take the queen before the man who used to be my king gets done with yours."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 11: The Siege of Clubs part 2**

…

The loud grumbling of the walls and the loud screaming of the fighting knights stung his hearing, making him rouse from another deathly situation. His half-lidded eyes scanned the dark room weakly, trying to see if someone would be there to hurt him. He could barely move with all his scars and bruises, more likely when he was still bound to the wall by heavy chains.

He knew what he was going through was way worse than the tribunal with the archbishop of Spades. Unlike there, he could not even speak nor perceive his surroundings. His vision was indeed impaired, relying heavily to sounds to get by the dubbed eternal darkness.

Arthur remembered the possessed king spoke of taking his magic back from him through consent, yet he could still do so by force. Extracting the energy he released through pain and brutality. It was the worse time of his life yet. He only wanted to go home and see Alfred. To think about it, Alfred was fatally hit by the king's sword. He did not even know if his king survived such grave wound. He was all out of hope until light drew on the wall next to him.

His blurred sight recognized light, and light alone. It was as if the door opened and someone walked in. What made him rattle the chains was the voice of the man calling out his name.

"Arthur! Don't worry, I'll set you free, aru."

Yao used his sword to break the chains and helped the queen off the wall. The Jack grabbed a curtain and wrapped Arthur with it while the queen was grasping for breath. His heart was beating so loud, his hands shaking in relief, excitement, glee, and fear. His Jack helped him out and walked him out of the room, trying to get out of the castle to have him treated.

"Y-Yao, w-where's Alfred? Is he doing alright?" Arthur asked the Jack on their way out the castle, not being able to see that well.

"I hope so, aru. He must be fighting− the King of Clubs." The Jack responded minutes before he stopped walking. Arthur felt the pause and rubbed his eyes, trying to see. Instead of calling out, the two royalties remained silent as they saw Alfred lying on the corridor before them.

He was not just there. He was tossed from the next hall where he was fighting Schrott. Alfred coughed out blood as he forced himself to stand up. Schrott, or Ivan in their eyes, walked in as well and smiled maliciously at the other king− only to notice Arthur and Yao at the side. The Jack pulled out his spear, preparing for anything. Arthur clenched his teeth strongly, keeping himself from trying to attack the possessed king.

"I see your friends found you, Arthur." He spoke, bypassing the king, "The question is can they get you out of this place?" He brandished the sword, making his intentions known to the two.

Yao let Arthur go to the wall as he brandished his own weapon. With the blade pointing at the possessed king, Yao spoke with a somewhat worried tone, "What is happening to you, Ivan?"

"He's not Ivan anymore!" Alfred yelled as he weakly got up, soon being joined by his queen who tried to help his king stand even though he couldn't do it well himself. The king continued after nodding at Arthur, handling himself on his own by then, "He's just borrowing Ivan's body, but we still needed to kill him regardless where he hides."

"Unforgivable." Yao whispered, glaring at the possessed king.

Schrott looked behind him and then in front of him before laughing out loud. This made them attack the Clubbish king who, in turn, raised his hands as if producing so much force to push the two away effectively. However, the two used their weapons to hold themselves down before attacking again. The green king faced the two blue royalties in a close-ranged fight, but since he had sorcery up on his sleeves, he had something to counter them.

The sorcerer king blasted Yao away with another force field before parrying an attack from Alfred. The two kings clashed their swords together and tried to overpower each other. Schrott smirked and knocked the Spadanian king back with his sharp summoned hands. These hands pierced through the king's shoulder and abdomen, pinning him against a wall. Yao would run, but he was caught in the rubbles Schrott made to keep him occupied.

"Ah, such poor king, aren't you, Alfred? Dying in search of his queen who was not even deemed to exist. Wake up, King of Spades; your queen is not even human. Why all these desperation?" Schrott chuckled as he whipped his sword to clear some blood from it. He then raised it before the king, planning to drive it through his very heart. When he moved to do so, Arthur suddenly ran towards him and pushed him off with so much force he could muster, making both of them break through the weakened wall− down to the ground outside the high castle.

"Arthur!" The blue king yelled as they fell off. The hands vanished, and he was able to stand and peer from the hole they made as Yao made it out of the rubble, running towards his king. Alfred then saw Schrott spawning a shadow horse with Arthur behind him. The green king finally fled the castle with the blue queen. Instead of giving up, Alfred slid down the hole, hoping to find a stray horse from some knight at the ground. Yao would follow, but some Spadanian knights called for him.

The King of Spades ran after the silhouette while looking for a horse in the bloody battlefield in the grounds of the castle. He then saw Yao's horse running around and whistled to call for it. Luckily, it came to his calling and let him ride it to chase the King of Clubs who took his queen away. The two kings rode through a path where no one hindered, soon disappearing into the horizon.

Moonlight shed faint light on their path as the two kings raced away from the crumbling castle. Schrott looked behind him, seeing an impressively persistent king of Spades. He would just think Alfred was crazy for doing so, but this young king knew about him being Schrott Fleisch. He knew he was facing the king of sorcerers in a fight that seemed to never end.

The people of Clubs were the only ones blessed by the kingdom's luck− not Schrott. His life force was running low, and he might end up relinquishing his hold on the King of Clubs if things get ugly. Ivan was right when he told him Alfred would not stop. He was a persistent bastard− of all people, he knew it the most.

Alfred was also low on energy and life force, yet he kept on secretly healing himself using his time magic− especially the wounds on his abdomen and shoulder. His queen was there in front of him, and he was almost there in getting him back from this scheming sorcerer.

The path was long, and both were almost at their limits, yet they kept on going until one falls down.

They rode for hours, and the spawned horse was staring to disintegrate. Schrott had no choice but to grab the unconscious Queen of Spades and jumped off before it faded into the darkness. This scene before Alfred sparked his determination to catch them faster. However, Schrott stopped to aim his palm at the King of Spades. Luckily, Alfred hopped off the horse before he blasted the poor steed away.

The King of Spades rolled off to a side and unsheathed his sword, challenging the possessed king, "Unhand my queen, Schrott! I'm not allowing you to take him with you!"

"Ah, still up for a fight, aren't you, King of Spades?" The possessed king laughed and started wheezing in weakness. Alfred took it as a chance to attack, only to be fooled. With a critical amount of the king of sorcerer's life force, he blasted Alfred away from him and deep into the cliff next to them.

Alfred would fight back, but his body was too weak to endure anything anymore. He could only watch himself fly away from his beloved queen and land along the steep slope of the cliff. His rendered-lifeless body rolled through the dirt and sharp rocks down the path to the foot of the cliff.

Banging his body against a big rock, the roll was done damaging the poor king. He even tried getting up and walking away from the rock, forcing himself to find a way to get back to where he just saw his queen. Using the rock as a wall, he tried to stand. His blurred vision only saw darkness until a faint light came into sight. He waited until the light grew nearer, only to see knights patrolling the area spot him. Alfred motioned to draw his sword, only to slide down the rock and lost consciousness once again.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

With the fleeing of the king and the death of the queen, Clubs surrendered to Spades after such a bloody siege of their kingdom. Even though the kingdom was taken by surprise, it was still a hard battle between the two armies. Spades did not truly aim to take control of Clubs, yet this opportunity proved to be helpful as a means to rule out threats to their Crown. With the absence of the king and queen of Spades, their Jack was in charge of taking control of the luckiest kingdom before the commander could take up the position.

The next morning, Yao was deploying knights to make sure Clubs would stand down the whole time Spades was ruling over it. It was impossible, but it was the kingdom of Spades− they were willing to do everything to ensure that. For now, Clubs had to accept the dire fate of their Crown.

The aristocrats, the knights, and the commanders were all imprisoned in their castle's dungeon. The maids of the castle were the only ones allowed to work and tend to the Spadanian knights in the castle of simplistic beauty. Any hostile action resulted to death so everyone was wary of committing any patriotic actions against the Spadanian Crown.

Unlike the others, Roderich was not among the ones who were imprisoned in his own dungeon. He was chosen to be the intermediary between the citizens of their kingdom and the Spadanian commander to take over. Also, he secretly led Yao to the Queen of Spades, and this fact led Yao to the green Jack's chamber that day.

The blue Jack knocked and opened the door, seeing Roderich sitting next to an open window overseeing the castle. Yao could tell he knew he was there so he just started talking right after closing the door behind him, "Jack of Clubs, Roderich Edelstein, I want to speak with you."

"I'm listening," was his short reply, eyes still outside the room.

"You have not told me about this whole− situation about the King of Clubs. What do you know about this, aru?" Yao stood there, waiting for his answer. He heard what Britannia, Alfred, and the oracles talked about the other day, and he thought Spadanian royalties were the only ones who knew about this certain secret. Hearing about someone who knew something was wrong piqued his interest.

"Is it true? The king fled last night?" The Jack seemed to change the subject upon the utterance of the topic. It was understandable, yet someone from the kingdom of power, evil, and knowledge would not back down that easy.

"The King of Clubs fled. The King of Spades followed him, though." He walked to the open window and gazed out as well as he talked, "You said the Black Joker had his doubts. About what, aru?"

"There's something more than just a pursuit of dominance when the King of Clubs took the Queen of Spades. That's all I know." Roderich answered before he finally looked at Yao who looked back at him as his tone changed, "I'm feeling tired from the speeches towards the people. Please let me rest."

The Jack knew he was lying, and he knew exactly why he was. Yao wanted to ask some more, but knocks came to the green jack's door. Roderich let the person come in, only to see the head of the maids peeking from the crack of the door. She opened the door slowly, starting with a heavy heart.

"Your Highness, what about the queen? Her Majesty− she's−"

"I know." Roderich sighed, and he looked at Yao again, "The Queen of Clubs is already rendered harmless to you and your Crown. Please let us bury her properly."

The blue jack saw nothing wrong about a funeral and burial of the longest-serving queen during the War of Colors. He let them guise her for a funeral with the Jack of Clubs overseeing it as well. Right now, the Clubs did not have a formidable leader to assure the victory of their cause. All they had was a king who ran away in the middle of a decisive battle.

The Jack of Clubs left the chamber with the head of the maids after gazing at the other jack for a moment. Yao, who was there on his own, was left to stare at the sight of the whole castle of Clubs from the window its Jack stared. Ignoring the abundance of candles in the jack's room, he stayed there while thinking of the words Roderich mouthed before he left.

'There is one true enemy, and it's not any of us.'

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Grief shrouded the maids and the Jack as they peeled the sheets covering their valiant queen. Elizabeta's eyes had dried with her tears staining her face, while her body was pressured to fight more than it ever could. The sharp blade of the King of Spades left a clean cut on her neck, showing how swift she earned her end. The maids groomed her in the clothes of the dead while Roderich took her head in her arms.

It was so poor for her to end this way: betrayed by her own king and beheaded by the king she despised the most. Roderich knew everything that happened in that staircase hall, yet he was too occupied waiting for the coming of the blue Jack. He chose ensuring the retrieval of the Queen of Spades than his own, one that loved him the most. It was a choice that had to be made− in assuring a better future for everyone.

Yet Spades failed him, if he could blame them.

The women asked for the head to be sewn to her neck. It was to be presented to a multitude so they wanted for the queen to look proper even after death. She was a queen who had achieved what most kings had and most queens never would even dare to try. She fought for the Crown even with a weakened body, and they wanted to give her the utmost honor they could. They would never present her with her head off her beautiful body.

While some were changing the queen's clothes, two women were sewing her head to her neck. The sobbing of the maids was as evident as the loud ripping sound the thread was making. It was questionable that her body had not smelled nor did it decay, yet they cried all the same. With the head completely reconnected to her body, the women finished redressing her− and light gently embraced her body.

The maids and their jack were taken aback by the scene, and the fact that her body floated in mid-air. Soon, the light swirled, and her cuts and bruises started healing on their own. The women doubted the phenomenon, while Roderich clenched his fist in dread. After some seconds, the lights faded as well as the body was gently laid back on the ground. The women loomed their heads to inspect their queen− only for her eyes to open.

"−bert."

…

**End of Chapter 11**

…

Thank you for reading! Please review! Ooooh, she came back, but what are your certainties nothing will go wrong?


	12. Immortal Queens

There will be more character deaths in the future. Should I shift the rating to M now?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Due to some circumstances, Yao found Arthur in where Roderich led him. They tried to take an easy way out of the castle, yet they got caught in the fight between Schrott and Alfred. This scene led to the king's escape with Arthur.

Being a stubborn man, Alfred forced himself to chase the sorcerer king to retrieve his queen. However, Schrott had one more ace up in his sleeve, sending the King of Spades off track in yet a different kingdom.

With the Clubs under the Spadanian Crown after the siege, Yao had a talk with Roderich again, yet he invoked his right to be silent, only to leave Yao with another message.

Elizabeta suddenly rose from the dead, bringing words of the Black Joker they should value the most.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The sound of dripping water resonated around the whole place, rousing a sleeping woman from sleep. She opened her eyes, her fading green eyes scanning the dark void. She sat up, feeling her body free from any pain she suffered when she was alive−

"Where am I?" She spoke as she hurried got up in mixed panic and alertness. The last thing she remembered was the King of Spades' blade going through her neck. To think about it, something happened which should not; the black joker did not come for her. He did not appear before her at the time of her end.

Was this a place for the failed souls? Questions roamed her head as the Queen of Clubs vigorously looked around the dark void. There was nothing anywhere she looked, but she was able to make out her body and feel it like she had always had. With her hands groping for her weapons, she called out again, "Hello!? Is someone here!?"

"Shhh, you're getting loud."

A familiar voice answered her, making her drop her guard and looked around. Soon, balls of flame spread around to light the whole place. It was a throne chamber of red and black lines, and no windows for a light source. The queen turned around to familiarize herself with the place, only to see a tall throne at a distance. She walked towards the throne, finding the man she was looking for seated on it.

"Gilbert," she spoke in relief, "where are we? Why didn't you come to see my end?"

The black joker looked at her and hopped off the throne to stand before her. He then walked around her, spawning a chair from thin air and pulling her down to sit on it, "I chose not to."

"Did I do something wrong as a royalty?" She whispered, looking down at herself and her hands. She lifted her head as he wrapped his arms loosely around her neck.

"No, I have something to ask you. I need you to stay as a royalty."

"Isn't that breaking the laws of life?"

"I have to." Gilbert leaned more against her head, "I need you to go back to the world of the living and do me a favor. There's something out there that needed to be killed. As one of the greatest royalties, you have to stay there and help them put an end to it."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 12: The Immortal Queens**

…

The queen frowned and exhaled in suspicion, yet she continued to listen, "And that is?"

"Schrott Fleisch."

She gasped as she turned to the joker, "The King of Sorcerers? I thought he was dead three centuries ago!"

"That's what I need to know as well. Spades seemed to have answers because their royalties knew of his revival. Also, there's this male queen he wanted to get his hands on." Gilbert got off of her and walked back to the throne, "I want you to ensure the Queen of Spades will be away from the King of Clubs as much as possible; that is if he stayed inside Ivan. I doubt he'll choose to leave such a strong vessel."

"What? What's going on?" Elizabeta stood up and walked nearer the throne where Gilbert flew to sit down.

The Black Joker leaned his head against his hand and continued, "I don't have a lot of answers for you. You might as well ask the King of Spades himself. I'm going to find Ivan and try to take Schrott Fleisch out from his body. One more thing, take this." A pendant with a black cross and glowing white lining appeared before the queen, which she took in both of her hands. "If that pendant stops glowing, consider me gone− and consider the deaths of all royalties on hold."

Elizabeta lolled her head to the side, deeply confused by the joker's words. The joker then took a deep breath before speaking again, "The red joker is gone, vanquished by Schrott himself. I can't let him roam around the land. I will try to stop him from my end. You keep the Queen of Spades away from him; that's what you have to do."

"You− you talk like this is the last time you will see me."

"Who knows, Elizabeta," he gave her a bitter smile before everything blacked out, "and tell Roderich I'm sorry."

"Gil− bert."

She somehow failed to recognize where she was, yet the familiar faces of the maid assured her. She held her head before groaning and sitting up on the floor. She then looked around at everyone's weeping faces, partially having a clue why they had those faces on. She only smiled at them before Roderich called out to her softly.

"Elizabeta− what happened? You were− weren't you−?"

"Apparently, Gilbert did something. I don't know what was really happening, but I need to see Ivan−" Elizabeta leaned towards her Jack, her hand reaching out to touch Roderich's face.

The Jack took her hand and answered, "No good. He's gone, along with the Queen and King of Spades. Elizabeta, what did Gilbert say? Did he say anything about−" He looked at the maids, yet dismissing his first thought, "anything about an entity inside Ivan?"

"I didn't know you were aware." Elizabeta clenched his hand lightly, "Yes, Gilbert did say there was a dreaded entity that took control of our King. He aimed to remove this vile creature from Ivan's body as soon as possible."

"It was more serious than I thought." The Jack hummed for a moment, "No matter, Elizabeta, listen, Spades had Clubs under its reign at the moment. The siege was successful, and everyone else was imprisoned in the dungeon. If we were to take back the Crown, we needed to free them−"

"Give me my sword, and I'll fight! I'll slaughter each and every one of them with−"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, Your Majesty," the head maid pleaded all of a sudden, "we have to hide this from the knights. They will everyone if they found out! Please, my Queen."

Roderich looked at his queen and then to the maids with them. He smiled and looked at the door before whispering, "Listen closely. There's something I need everyone to do. No one should know you came back to life, my Queen. The gods had blessed us with luck yet again."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

_"Alfred! Alfred! Alfred, wake up! I know you're in there somewhere!"_

Arthur's voice echoed in his head faintly. He was feeling so heavy and suffocated, every inch of his body restrained by a certain strong force. His vision was in flashes as if in synchronizing with his rapidly pulsating heart. It was all dark, and his Queen was crawling on the ground and crying at him.

The rest of his words were a blur, yet he felt being crushed for every second he was watching darkness and his queen. He wanted to reach out, yet he was being paralyzed by something. His heart felt beating so loud and hard, growing more and more rapid−

Until he woke up.

Tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes as he forced them open. For a long moment, he stared at the empty gold ceiling above him. He then raised his hands up just to see them, realizing they were cuffed together by gold-plated steel cuffs. That was the only moment Alfred realized he was in a cell. In a dungeon perhaps.

He got up from his poorly-done hay bed, feeling way better than he last remembered. He walked towards the bars and tried to escape by bending them. However, his unusual strength would not even make them budge. It was reinforced steel, and he knew where these were made in. He smirked at himself before sighing, "I just got myself arrested in Diamonds."

Feeling his life force charged enough for him not to sparingly use his time magic, he concentrated in removing the steel cuffs instead of breaking it. Some seconds after, the cuffs fell; but he caught the pair before it made any noise to alert the wardens. He placed it down on the hay and walked back towards the bars. He reached for the lock pad and touched it for while before it unlatched and opened on its own.

Alfred felt a little dizzy after using some magic. He shook his head before looking around for some knights. There must be someone patrolling even the darkest and deepest hall of cells in someone's dungeon. Without his majestic coat, armor and sword, he walked a little further, soon hearing someone calling out to him loudly.

"You, hey, you!" The voice called, knowing Alfred was there in front of his cell. The king decided to listen as he let his body recharge his own life force. He flicked the lock pad as if telling the person he was still there, and he noticed the voice. The owner of the voice chuckled, "Please, help me out! They are going to kill me!"

The king frowned and stayed, watching hands grasped the bars, "Give me more reason to release you, criminal."

"Ah, I was right! I was right! They couldn't keep you locked in here!" The voice exclaimed, "I know you are! You're the King of Spades! I will serve you till I die, Your Majesty!"

Alfred broke into a ridiculing chuckle before asking again, "Tell me, oh faithful slave of mine, what's your crime?"

"I− I stole from the bank, Your Majesty. From the royal bank, Your Majesty." The voice then sounded crying, "I only did that for my son, Your Majesty. If I did not, he would be dead from this weird disease! We're just poor−"

Alfred laughed out loudly, only to cover his mouth. He then hit the bar loudly with his closed fist, "Stop talking now, criminal. Even I wouldn't forgive such a foolish action as that." He then continued snickering as he walked away, hearing more and more screams from the locked bars and outreached hands, "As much as I know there is no poor person in a kingdom showering gold coins in the streets."

If there was something really good about Diamonds, it was their quality of life. This kingdom is the richest among all the other kingdoms, being able to yield more than any other. The kingdom of wealth was never recorded to have a poor district like the other three kingdoms, and their need for internal security was nothing compared to Spades'. The kingdom was practically another version of paradise.

If there was something Alfred would envy, it would Diamonds' prosperity. Among the four biggest kingdoms, Spades was the least blessed with gold. It was hard to live inside their kingdom, and most traders were the greedier than even the earliest kings. If he was not born in nobility, he might just be a full-time mercenary− hands dirty just for gold to buy food for a family. That's quite why most Spadanian knights were brutes and barbarians in nature: only being a knight could give them the fortune of a successful trader, and surviving wars was needed to get their pay.

The King of Spades shook his head to dismiss his thoughts as he ran his hand along the gold-painted walls of the dungeon. He found it amusing to feel such fine finish on a dungeon wall, not being scared of getting his fingers cut by stray cement spurs unlike in his own dungeon. Soon, he then noticed a special-looking cell at a distance.

It had complicated lock pads and a series of chains keeping it shut tight. There was no small door for food or water, but it looked occupied. He walked near one and touched the pad, inspecting the scratched edge of the key hole. It was strongly reinforced, yet it was frequently opened. Upon inspecting the chains, the king held down his giggling. It was just a bluff: the chains weren't even holding the door closed. The door intrigued him more, forgetting he had to get out of the place as soon as possible.

He used time magic again, unlocking the door without its key. He opened it slowly, being careful not to startle the one inside. What unveiled before him was a room with a made bed, a shelled torch, a table and chair, and an occupant. The person was lying on the bed, but they quickly got up when the stranger walked in. She reached for an unlit candelabrum to use as a weapon.

Alfred's eyes widened as he saw the woman and her unusual guise. Her golden hair was messy yet kept short as it had always been. Her strong eyes glared at him viciously like the same day he thought he saw the last of her. He readied his arms in case she would attack, only to be civilized enough to converse before jumping in.

"King of Spades!? What are you doing in here!? How did you got in my castle!?" The woman huffed angrily, her grip on the candelabra intensifying. Like before, she was not shaking despite the hatred engulfing her.

The man could not speak at first, yet he remembered that little encounter with the Queen of Hearts. He took a deep breath and grinned at her meaningfully, "It's been a while, Queen of Diamonds− or what you used to be. You're lucky I once saw a queen got revived; I'm not really that surprised seeing you."

Jeanne d'Arc, the previous Queen of Diamonds. She was another valiant queen back in her days, and probably one to cross swords with most kings and queens alive by then. In her four years of being Queen, she trampled most enemy advances in their kingdom and thwarted plans on invasion. One of her greatest enemies was the young King of Spades, who eventually drove his sword through her heart.

Dressed in quite plain white clothing donned for imprisonment, the queen watched the king intently as he planned to stand there all along, "You're covered in blood, yet I have not heard of any commotion outside. Why are you here, you blasted king?"

"Perhaps I was amused of your cage, and the way you received me." Alfred tried to show his discomfort. The queen who had nearly killed him was standing in front of him with a candelabrum, and he had nothing for a weapon. He needed to get out of the room without running away in the face of the undead.

"Two years away from a battlefield, but I can still smell fear." Jeanne lowered her arms and stared at the king who frowned at her action. She then chose to speak, "I don't fight a man without a weapon so you should keep yourself from threatening your own safety. While you're at it, answer me this. You said you saw a queen get revived before you came here. Tell me about that."

The king dropped the glare and decided to put a little trust on a knight's word, "The Queen of Hearts. She− he− she− she was burned alive, yet her ashes surrounded her and became flesh again. It was still a mystery to me, but I have more important matters to attend to."

"And that is?"

"Something far too complicated for a queen locked inside her own castle's dungeon for two years, demoted upon death."

Jeanne exhaled angrily, yet she decided to ask again, "Is that important matter the reason why you were caught in Diamonden grounds? Are you planning to involve my kingdom in your twisted schemes?"

"No." Alfred started to walk towards a corner, making Jeanne grip on the candelabrum tightly, "In fact, that was only between me and the King of Clubs. Who knew he would cower in the face of his rival and ran towards the borders of Diamonds?" He swiftly rolled on the floor, making the woman gasped as he rose and pointed a knife at her, "And I feel like I have wasted a lot of time in this place. I'll see you, Jeanne d'Arc."

He ran towards her in attempt to quickly silence her with a knife. However, as a former knight queen, she was able to dodge, and a fight between them ensued. Both royalties exchanged swings and parrying, battling with such wee weapons at hand. Even though Alfred used his arm more than the small knife.

Seeing the candelabrum not a good choice, Jeanne threw it to distract the king and ran to perform a neck lock. Alfred figured it out, but acted against it a little late. She was able to climb him already so he had hurt himself by rolling prematurely, banging both of them against the floor. That was when the knife glided along the floor, both hurt royalties trying to reach it first.

The king managed to get up to reach the weapon, only to have Jeanne jump on him to thwart his movement. They struggled on the floor more, until he gets to kick her off. He crawled recklessly to get the knife as the queen shook unconsciousness off from his forceful hit. They both got up again, and the queen lunged to attack him. The king countered the attack and tried to stab her heart one more time. However, she was able to stop him from driving the knife swiftly, her arms trying to stop the man.

However, Alfred was physically stronger than her. He was able to overpower her and stab her mostly at the same place he did two years ago. Blood spurted from the wound, more when Alfred pulled the knife out and hit her again to ensure death. The woman cried, yet she just grabbed the man's arm and forced him to the floor with a choke hold. Not compromising their position, she pulled out the knife again and held it firmly.

"Sorry, King of Spades, death had already abandoned me."

Before she could drive the blade through Alfred's skull, the door flung open again. The two glanced at the entrance, seeing a group of knights and their king. Francis called out on Jeanne to stop her from killing the black suit king, yet he ordered the knights to hold him down and tie him for the planned public tribunal before all of Diamonds. Before he was taken, Alfred glared at Jeanne who was checking on her open wounds.

…

**End of Chapter 12**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review! I would use Jehanne la Pucelle, but that's not her real name. I just feel like showing Alfred isn't much of a melee fighter despite being a formidable knight, and that he thinks knights are knights, male or female. (Female knights received more than sword training, though.) Yes, some royalties are trained knights, making them viable in front lines. Most royalties also tend to do things to intimidate the others.


	13. Blotting the Red Ink

I just felt like I show the royalties like they're gods− so I need to insert quite human nature in there somewhere. Aaaaaand, I got real excited with the incoming scenes so back to back chapters for now?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Claiming that the Black Joker brought her back to life to grant an important favor to keep the Queen of Spades away from someone, Elizabeta, together with her Jack, planned for an uprising against the knights of Spades.

Alfred woke up in a cell after dreaming of yet another senseless scenario. He found himself in the dungeon of Diamonds, and opted for an escape before he creates unnecessary noises which he did nonetheless.

He then ventured into the cell of the previous Queen of Diamonds who he inevitably invited into a battle. Sooner, he realized the queen was not dying at all, resulting to his recapture for the public tribunal.

Alfred was by then facing a chance to escape altogether, and he was to grab it in expense of many lives.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

It was a custom. He had to be clothed rightfully for the ceremony. The maids of Diamonds looked at him with disdain as they peeled off his clothes soaked in his blood. There would be a tribunal in front of the plaza, and he would be tried for his war crimes. He is the King of Spades, and he had indeed taken thousands of lives in his five years of hellish warfare.

Alfred's cerulean eyes moved from left to right and back multiple times as he carefully examined the maids and the clothes they put on him. It was just a white ceremonial thin garb, ensuring his inability to carry weapons while on trial and incapability of escaping. The tribunal will be held at noon, making sure no one would be hiding in the shadows, nor the knights be sleepy enough not to catch anything suspicious.

The youngest maid gasped involuntarily as she saw the monstrous king's back. He could be healing himself from time to time, yet not every wound was worth his life energy. There were scars, lots of them. He was a king at sixteen, and she could only imagine how much horror he might have endured when he first went into war a week after coronation. Yet the other maids only glared at her. No pity for a beast, they said.

Soon, knocks came into the double door of the room where Alfred was being held. The doors opened, followed by the entrance of a few more maids who scowled at the sight of the blue king. However, they bowed and stepped back to make way for their young queen. The present Queen of Diamonds stood in front of the resting brute, secretly gesturing the maids to leave.

Putting his white bloodied shirt back on, Alfred slowly buttoned it to hide the doodling of swords in his body. He then smirked at her after taking a deep breath, regaining his king-like atmosphere, "Not so scared of me, are you, Queen of Diamonds?"

"The guards are stationed outside. One loud sound will make them pierce you with their swords and spears," Lili spoke, discreetly dealing with the terror of having the blue king in front of her. She was not able to react properly when he appeared in the Queens' Maze, but right now, she wanted to be more queen-like. Sadly, she was failing.

With a silent gulp, she cleared the lump in her throat and started asking, "You were unconscious when the guards turned you in. So this is just the first time someone would ask you. What are you doing in Diamonds? Who were you fighting last night?"

The smirk on his face only grew less sinister as he answered, "I just found myself in the kingdom I wanted to burn so much. Maybe I do have a reason to be here or not. Why would you ask me who I was fighting? I now own Clubs; who do you think I was fighting?"

"I will ask you again, and this time, I hope you'll be honest, King of Spades, what are you doing in my kingdom?"

"I might as well redo what Ivan had done."

The clutching of her hands tightened as her patience jumped down rapidly. This king seemed to have a good reputation to the King of Hearts despite everything everyone had said, yet the youngest queen failed to be patient enough to ask him properly. She just took a deep breath and spoke in the best monotonous voice she could muster, despite the denial of the truth.

"You can lie to me as much as you want, King of Spades, but you can never lie at the tribunal. You will be sent to eternal damnation as the Black Joker takes you to your end. It's quite a pity your queen had to suffer in Hearts− in the name of your filthy kingdom," the queen's words failed to flow out smoothly, yet they sparked something in the king's eyes. Something that made the young queen flinched in pure fear.

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 13: Blotting the Red Ink**

…

Last night's events played blurred in his mind as he tried to remember everything that happened since the night he was taken away from his king. However, Arthur could only clearly make out a few scenes due to his severe disorientation. He recalled being taken by the King of Clubs− who was not really the King of Clubs anymore, and then he was rescued by Yao. They then tried to escape from Schrott, yet he had to take him down with him through− something hard. He remembered seeing Schrott fighting another dark figure, yet he only forced himself to get up to run away. He did not know where he was, yet he just kept on running.

A soft groan got out of him as he got up from a fluffy mattress he was laid upon. He tried to bring his legs down, only to feel one of his legs shackled against the bed, under the sheets. He flipped the sheets and stared at the thick steel embracing his ankle.

The view made him remember about his body's condition. His legs were spared from the damage, yet his torso was decorated with deep cuts which are− missing. Arthur just noticed he was wearing clothes he did not remember putting on as soon as he looked inside to find the wounds Schrott's torture left him. However, there were no scars as if he was healed using Alfred's time magic.

Did Alfred find him? Why would he be shackled if this was Spades?

That thought made Arthur examine the room more than he normally would. The smooth walls appeared pinkish as the dark red curtains colored the room as it blocked the light from the windows. Red ornaments were the main decorations, even around the bed with a red canopy. His gaping mouth closed tight as he continued staring at the canopy as he realized where he might be. The Queen of Spades was now a prisoner of Hearts.

While Arthur contemplated a possible escape, the soft creaking of the door took his attention away from the canopy to the door. There stood a man with a bubbly smile and jester-like clothing in multiple shades of red fabric. He smiled at the queen before walking inside the room, closing the door behind him. The man then plopped at the edge of the bed where the shackle was, morphing his bubbly smile into a kind one.

"Good morning, Queen of Spades! It's almost evening though, but I'm happy you've rested well!" his bark brown eyes looked directly at the queen's emerald ones, hoping to get a reply from him at least.

"Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before," Arthur answered nonetheless.

"Well, my name is Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts!" he smiled bigger briefly, keeping the conversation friendly. However, there was something in the way he looked that bothered the queen. Seeing the glare that came from the blue royalty made Feliciano flinch and look away, "I'm sorry. I was just feeling bad for you, Queen Arthur. It must be so hard to be Queen to a man sought to be killed by every other kingdom. Fighting other formidable knights just to protect him− even though it might cost you your life. Lud− My king told me about your fight."

"I− I don't have time for sentiments from someone else. If Hearts found me, why am I still alive?"

The Jack brought his gaze back to him before taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Queen of Spades. We were just waiting for the right time for your own tribunal. We're still making some preparations. You are to be tried in front of every Heartenese citizen to pay for the crimes Spades committed to us, and to everyone else. You are not spared. So is your king."

"My king? Alfred is here!?" Arthur jerked in his seat and attempted to lunge at Feliciano, only to fail because his ankle was shackled. Despite seeing the Jack back away with his sudden outburst, he continued to demand for an answer, "Tell me! Is he here!?"

"N-No, he was tried in Diamonds. He must be dead by now," Feliciano almost whimpered and did as he saw the very instant the spark in Arthur's eyes died. He watched the queen recede back to his previous distance, his eyes fixed on the vacancy of the bed he was on. The Jack thought it would be good for him to leave the queen by then; it was as if he lost someone the other royalties failed to meet.

"Be ready for your own execution, Arthur."

The next thing Arthur knew was that Feliciano was already gone. He then stared at the door before looking at the thick chain embracing his ankle. At least he wanted to see Alfred's body to make sure. He wanted to believe Alfred could be still alive, yet flashes of last night came to his head. There was no way Alfred could heal as much as he had before the execution, especially when it took days for his life energy to be fully charged.

The queen stared at the chain, concentrating as if wanting to melt the steel with his fire. However, something felt wrong whenever he tried. He scooted nearer the chain and took it in his hands. He tried harder, yet nothing happened. He then resorted to an attempt on pulling the chain apart.

"It's futile to resist, Queen of Spades."

A voice took Arthur's attention from the chains; when he flung to the open door, someone else was already standing there. The desperation in his face was replaced by false strength as he whispered the man's name, "King of Hearts."

Ludwig walked in the room, closing the door behind him softly. He walked near the scowling queen, looking at the posts of the canopy. He noticed the queen looked at what he was gazing at as well, speaking with his gaze back to the queen, "My queen placed talismans on the bed to prevent you from conjuring your flame."

Arthur stopped gazing and let his arms and the chain at his feet, "I supposed you came to take me for the tribunal. Before that, is it true the King of Spades died on a separate tribunal in Diamonds?"

"It's true he was caught and tried in Diamonds," Ludwig answered, "and I did not come here to take you to the plaza. I came here to ask you some questions, Queen Arthur. Your life might depend on your cooperation with the Heartenese crown. It's not a strange encounter for the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades to meet. Perhaps you have read in your books about how one queen b-bedazzled a king. A Spadanian queen is normally− well− attractive, but that doesn't count you now. Technically, you are not supposed to be Queen for you are male."

"And so is the Queen of Hearts," Arthur looked at him with a scowl again, "I should have known back when we first met. He did not even flinch or express confusion finding me male yet crowned Queen," he looked away and grumbled, "Anyway, it was not like it was something of huge importance. Inconsistencies and anomalies seemed to lurk and terrorize the three other queens. What difference does gender make?"

"You're right, the fortune cards had been inconsistent yet there was only one thing that remained unchanged in the seas of senselessness: the premonition," Ludwig's words made the queen look at him yet again, "You must have heard about it after being Queen for more than two months, perhaps even fought to protect your king."

The queen looked away yet again, "Alfred is not the man in the premonition. It couldn't be him."

"Despite the vivid images seen by my queen, we share the same thought, Queen of Spades," Ludwig attracted Arthur's gaze back at him, "I cannot see such a man like Alfred Jones break the current world order without holding it together under a stronger government. A man who simply spreads destruction is not who he could be, not even with all the corruption of Spadanian Crown."

"I never thought someone looked at Alfred differently."

"It's very rare, Queen of Spades, so let me ask you questions to make some sense out these troubling thoughts I've got. I might− pardon you and hand over your life back to you."

"−I'll only answer what I know. Divulging any information about Spades is out of the question."

"I don't think I'll ask you anything about your Crown−" the king spoke before sitting and making Arthur scoot to face him, "because my questions will be about the King of Clubs, and I think you know what I want to hear."

Arthur looked away again before redirecting his gaze at Ludwig's eyes, "The king was not the man everyone thought he was. There was someone else in his body that takes control of him and everything that was happening. He− he talked about destroying humanity− like he once did; he needed me for that. I− don't fully understand, but I have a feeling he's an imminent threat to all of Suits."

"Does this entity− have a name?"

The queen twitched and sighed as he turned away, "I never heard of a name, yet he admitted to being the man in the premonition. It was not Alfred all along−"

"But we can't discount what Kiku had been seeing. Where is the King of Clubs? Why was he not with you if he needed you?"

"I can't remember well. I saw him fight someone else− a dark figure: one I could not see. When I saw the chance, I gathered my strength and ran aimlessly. I woke up here after that." Arthur held his head, trying so hard in remembering the events before he lost consciousness that night.

The King of Hearts got up from the bed, "Thank you for your cooperation, Queen of Spades. I shall see what I can do convince the oracles to let you keep your life. For now−"

The king was interrupted by a loud thud from the door. Ludwig reached for the hilt of his sword while Arthur gripped at the chain tightly. However, the door opened slowly, revealing a messenger who was catching his breath. He did not bother to make a salute because of his urgent news.

"Your Majesty! An enemy! An enemy is approaching!" he leaned on the door as if calming himself down, yet he managed to yell loudly as he lifted his face, "The King of Spades is heading towards the southwestern gate!"

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Hours earlier, the clocks bonged as they announced the coming of noon. Despite the terror struck in the Diamonden queen's heart, she was only watching the execution from their seats on the small stage. The tribunal was held in the main plaza of Diamonds, and almost everyone came to witness the death of the King of Spades.

With his hands tied behind him, Alfred only stared at the raging faces of the mass in front of him. The King of Diamonds was already reading his counts, yet he was not paying attention to his voice. The King of Spades was staring at each face he could make out in the crowd. He was staring at the familiar faces the people make: the face he hated the most.

They were from different kingdoms, yet their expression of rages was all the same. Those were the same face Amebeth and Alfred looked at as the War of Colors started. The citizens of Spades never liked the idea of war, looking at their current financial state. Yet the King of Spades back then was desperate to protect his name. Those were the same faces that spat at Amebeth as she continuously lead each rally to victory, and those that hiss at Alfred for voluntarily witnessing such grave circumstances.

_'Take a good look at them, Alfred,'_ he remembered her say, _'these are the faces we must scrape off our people. These faces reflect a flaw in our actions, something a royalty of Spades should never have. You can choose to change your ways, or to make them accept it the way it is. Either way, never let anyone look at you with such a distasteful face. Rule over them through love and order, or power and fear. You are− the King.'_

One face in the crowd started to change the way he looked at the tried king. His angry face and body language started to soften until he was cowering. The murderous glance he spread among them was already reaching the hearts of the people, making them stop and take deep breaths. The once raging crowd was silenced by the terror Alfred effortlessly threw at them.

Instead of a victorious smirk, prolonged yet misdirected anger conquered the blue king's face. Seeing them quiet was not yet enough to quench his anger. He wanted to eradicate these people, yet he knew he was not strong enough to pose an actual threat to the people. However, he intended to try.

Arthur was still out there, alone and about to be tried again.

Francis, who finished reading the counts of crime against Alfred, watched the crowd and the stillness of the enemy king. He turned to Lili and Basch before walking to Alfred. He held onto his sword as the assistant, who were also intimidated by the blue king's aura, made Alfred kneel for his death sentence.

"King of Spades, this day will mark the fall of your blasted kingdom." Francis took a deep breath discreetly as he unsheathed his word and lined it against the other king's neck. His grip tightened, readying to cut Alfred's head off in one swift slash.

However, the other king broke into a chuckle before vanquishing his tormenting gaze and mockingly looked at the other king, "The fall of my kingdom? There could be a day Spades will fall, but not today. Not in my reign. If there's a kingdom to fall at this very moment−" his blue eyes glowed strongly, "it's yours!"

The King of Diamonds froze at the sight, yet his body shook in heat. Fire suddenly blazed around him as well as around the whole stage and soon, around the whole plaza. The people panicked and ran, the knights trying to extinguish the fire that ate the whole heart. Lili and Basch got caught on fire themselves, feeling the heat tearing through their bodies.

The flame ate Alfred as well, yet he used the intense heat to wait for the metal to partially melt and break the cuffs apart. Despite feeling the burns all around his body, he jumped off the stage and ran to grab a panicking horse. Forcing it to the ground, he mounted it and led it away from the burning plaza.

When Francis heard the horses, it was the only time he realized what was happening. There was no fire− only intense heat, which confused everyone's senses. It was next to impossible, but he saw Alfred's eyes glowed like how a sorcerer would activate magic. The King of Spades could wield magic? This was a question running around his head as he grabbed another horse and chased the fleeing king until they managed to force their tattered bodies through more gates and guards.

Diamonds and Hearts lied miles away from each other, yet it could be just a short trip using the Diamonden horses. They were the fastest among all horses, and the ones with the highest stamina and force. These horses ran across the rocky path up the mountainous trail effortlessly and ran miles without stopping. The only one slowing down was the King of Spades himself.

He had not fully charged himself during his stay in Diamonds, yet he gambled unleashing another high level time spell. He only clung against the horse's leash to stay on its back; his hands shaking from exhaustion and stress. He had endured a lot− and enough for his body to slowly give in without immediate recovery. He could see the walls of Hearts from where they were, yet his eyes kept on closing.

Too much, his body pleaded. Sheer will was not enough anymore. Alfred tried to move, only to lose hold of the horse and fall off as it was going at its fastest. As a result, his body dropped hardly against the rocky trails and rolled off like a lifeless doll. With only thin clothing on, Alfred's body was beyond magical repair. He could only stare off at the afternoon sky with the sun getting in his eyes.

Soon, a darkened figure stopped next to him and looked down at him. He could not tell who it was; his vision was far too impaired by then. The tenacious king could only close his eyes and mutter under his breath.

"Art−thur−"

…

**End of Chapter 13**

…

Extra longer− I just needed the scene to be full. Thanks you for reading! Please review! I'm so excited with the next chap, oh my God!


	14. Take Your Treasure Back Home

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The tribunal proceeded after Alfred had a small encounter with Jeanne in the dungeon. The preparations were made with Lili starting something inside Alfred which made him desperate to escape.

During the tribunal, he managed to inflict mental damage to the citizens of Diamonds as he fled away to get to where Arthur was. However, he failed to reach his destination as his body collapsed in extreme exhaustion.

The Queen, however, woke up hours later and found himself in Hearts. He was visited by the Jack and the King in different occasions, one leading to his discovery of Alfred's coming to get him away.

Nonetheless, the King of Spades came to take Arthur away and back home. Or so they thought.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The appearance of a man thought to be the King of Spades rattled the peaceful late afternoon of the Heartenese knights. Everyone went into position as they saw this figure rampaging towards the castle walls of Hearts. Soon, knights in blue apparel showed up as the King of Spades marched around as if mocking the knights to shoot arrows. Heartenese knights felt it could be a diversion so they just stayed in standby without the King's orders.

The Queen of Hearts went out of the room where they will be executing Arthur soon. He needed to make it magic-proof so the sorcerer queen would not be able to escape. However, the presence of the supposed dead King of Spades racked their preparations, the Queen gearing up for battle.

From his room, Feliciano peered to see the knights running around to prepare for an assault led by the supposed diversion outside. He quickly ran out of his room and went to see Kiku who was heading out the castle.

"Kiku!" Feliciano called, making Kiku look at him, "What's going on? Did something happen in Diamonds?"

"Nothing's clear to me for now. We shall find Ludwig and get or−"

A loud explosion interrupted the Queen, and the two looked at each other. Kiku ran off to a direction as he felt something happened in the room where Arthur was staying. Ludwig could be there− or not. Either way, he should make sure the Queen of Spades was not going anywhere.

What Kiku feared was what actually happened in the room. Upon hearing the news from the soldier, Ludwig ordered the knights to get ready to engage the enemy. He knew the Spadanian knights were clever, but he did not count on Alfred coming unannounced. He had that habit to send messages as soon as the knights were en route. Something felt not right.

However, Arthur did not take any doubt into consideration. If Alfred came to get him, he should at least get away from the chains that bound him. He was not as powerless as he was before, and he had rested well− enough to fight again at least. He held the chain tightly and concentrated, yet the talismans lit as he tried to break away.

It attracted Ludwig, making him unsheathe his sword. He needed to stop Arthur. The King of Hearts was about to grab the Queen when Arthur's eyes glowed so bright, soon overpowering the talismans, as he melted the chain he was tearing apart. Too much magic burned the talismans, yet it set off another feature.

The room exploded in an attempt to stop Arthur from fleeing unscathed. Kiku and Feliciano came to the room a second too late, seeing the doors broken and hanging from the big hole the blast had created. Feliciano saw a familiar sword struck against one of the door, making him lunge from the edge and yell for his king's name.

"Ludwig!"

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 14: Take Your Treasure Back Home**

…

The explosion stunned the Spadanian knights as well. They could not help but to watch a part of the tower crumble. The part of the tower where Arthur was broke, the force sending bits through the walls. They saw big and small debris fell from the side of the tower, taking the attention of the King of Spades. He then nodded at his knights before leading the horse to where the debris landed. The Heartenese knights did not seem to notice since they were alerted by the explosion themselves.

Swiftly arriving at the scene with his Diamonden horse, he saw a moving figure− probably a person inside the room when it exploded. He was badly burned at some parts, yet he looked made to withstand such things. The King got off his horse and unsheathed his sword as he cautiously walked towards the man.

The man was Ludwig. As the King of Hearts, he was also blessed with the ability to wield simple magic like his Jack. His ability was used for defensive precautions, making him able to survive a blast created by the talismans. Those tags were designed to shred the sorcerer into pieces if ever they were to escape, yet Ludwig and Feliciano deliberately ignored Kiku's warning about its possible trigger.

Because of this ability, he was not the only one saved. Even though it was only on a whim, he tucked Arthur in before the blast caused too much damage to him as well. Arthur was quite safe, but the trauma of the blast still paralyzed him for seconds.

As Ludwig sat up, he noticed the other King was aiming at him with his sword. The two stared at each other, only to be distracted by Arthur's groaning. The Queen of Spades rolled away from the red king before getting up to tend to himself− partly burned in some places. However, his supposed relief was replaced by grave confusion; he could not even utter his King's name.

The King of Spades standing before them was not how Arthur would remember Alfred. He did have Alfred's bloodied coat, vest and trousers− yet he was wearing a blue fedora and a mask. He was also holding his sword differently than Alfred ever did.

The said blue king slowly walked around to get near Arthur without accidentally challenging the red king. However, even Arthur was wary of the other king's presence. The blue king twitched as he could see Heartenese knights approaching along with the Jack and the Queen. He fished for something from his vest and swiftly threw it towards Ludwig, making it fly past inches away from Arthur's face.

It was a golden dagger, which Ludwig caught with his hand. The distraction had Arthur open, making the blue king succeed in grabbing him and hanging him from the shoulders. The Queen of Spades gasped at the swiftness of the action, and the speed of the blue king's running. Before any red knight could catch up, he whistled for his horse as he was running− soon mounting on it with ease even though Arthur was with him.

The horse sped across the rocky trail, and the red knights attempted to follow. However, Ludwig halted them− knowing their horses could never outrun a Diamonden horse. He also took the dagger off his hand as Feliciano came to him to heal his wounds.

Kiku spoke in worry, watching the blue royalties disappear in the horizon, "Why did we let them go?"

"Because it sounded like something happened in Diamonds." Ludwig answered as he stared at the golden dagger.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

With the sun setting behind them− as well as the walls of Hearts, Arthur glared at the man whom he had to cling on so he would not fall. The horse adorned with a golden saddle was going faster than what he remembered a normal horse could do; jumping off could not be an option at the moment. He knew Alfred could have hijacked a horse from Diamonds if he escaped, but this man was never Alfred. This man was not his King.

"Who are you? You're not Alfred. Why are you helping me? Do you even know who I am?" Arthur began to ask, deciding it was better to at least confirm if it was truly his king or not.

"Of course, I do, Queen of Spades. You made my job easier by detonating that place."

The Queen glared at him more as he spoke in a voice he almost recognized. He knew he had heard that voice and way of talking before, but he could not say who. It must be someone he had met before−

Arthur realized something, making him jerk and push himself away from the man. However, his action almost made him drop from such speed so the man only held him tighter. Arthur still tried to push himself away from the man as he was so convinced of his intentions.

"Let me go!"

"I can't do that, Queen Arthur of Spades! Stop disorienting the horse!" he almost whined as the horse started to swerve due to the queen's pushing. In the end, Arthur had to stop because the horse slowed down, and he could see a cave up ahead. He glared at the man as he led the horse to the cave−

And it remained even until he dismounted the horse and helped the Queen down. He took his arm and led him deeper until he saw lamps where three more people waited. Arthur almost cried at what he saw, yet a hand held his chin. He gently turned Arthur to face the man who had Alfred's clothes.

Off came the hat and the mask. The Queen's tears were held back some more as he took a deep breath, trying not to get emotional in front of the supposed enemy. He then looked at the girl and the man who came to the impostor's side before looking back at him.

"What is the meaning of this, King of Diamonds? What are you trying to play?" Arthur tried to sound intimidating, but his almost breaking voice failed him.

"Don't get me wrong, Queen of Spades. It was not my intention to spare the king," Francis sighed, "I just thought you would talk more freely if he was still alive."

"There's a lot to be considered, yet we took the most complicated action," Lili almost whimpered as she weakly smiled at the other queen.

However, the blue queen's relief was rocked when Francis drew his sword and lined it against his neck. Arthur's eyes widened for a moment before his gaze turned into a glare. Lili and Basch remained calm nonetheless. Francis stepped closer, brushing the blade closer against Arthur's skin.

"This action would cost me an alliance and a war, Queen of Spades. I'm pretty sure you would be feeling grateful enough that we spared your King. So now," he spoke in a threatening way, "I need a lot of answers from you."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The familiar feeling of warmth roused him from his sleep. It was even joined by a familiar sound of someone's soft snoring. His eyes opened, yet he could only see darkness: pitch black darkness. He moved his hand, hoping he could hold something; yet nothing came into his touch. He moved the other, and it met the same fate. He then moved his arms outward until his left hand gently hit against something.

It felt like knees, but he wanted to make sure. The fabric felt like silk, perhaps someone's clothing. He reached further, slowly groping whatever it was until something hit his face. A loud groan came out from Alfred as he felt something like a hand slapped his face, and it was followed by a soft growl as the hand remained.

Soon, the hand pulled away as he heard some fabric shifting. Then, a hanging lamp slowly hit overhead, giving him a better view of his surroundings. The ceiling was stone; he knew it could be a cave somewhere. He then turned to his left to see that person next to him−

Solid seconds passed before he could even react. Alfred slowly got up, feeling pain creeping around his body; yet his eyes were pinned on the person next to him. The last thing he remembered was passing out in the rocky trails of Diamonds leading to Hearts; how did he−?

"A lot happened, and everything was so hard to explain. I'm so happy to see you, too," Arthur got up as well and hesitated to embrace his King, "You don't know how happy I am, Alfred− seeing you alive."

"How did you− find me?" The king stuttered, having no idea at all, but the Queen's presence and embrace made him drop the doubts and hug him back. More, actually. The Queen he almost died for multiple times was now with him again, and almost nothing could express how much joy he felt− the King resorting only to a hug.

The tightening hug was starting to become uncomfortable, but the sense of gratefulness and craving coursed through their bodies as much as the pain of pressure on their bruises, burns, and cuts. The King let go and touched the Queen's face as if he never had for years. It was just two days since they were actually separated, but death had every opportunity to part them forever in those two long days.

"You must feel so weak right now, Alfred," Arthur held the hand on his face, "Worry not, love, we'll be home by tomorrow. We'll be both safe tomorrow." It was a false sense of security for the royalties, but at least they will be home in their own kingdom. Staying out here by themselves proved to be lethal to the two after all.

Alfred could only close his eyes and lay his head against Arthur's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the Queen again and held him like he'll never let go. He was indeed so weak at the moment; he could not even begin to heal himself. His magic had been depleted gravely, and his body was badly tattered. He might not be able to carry a sword if he tried to. However, it did not matter. At least he knew Arthur was alive and well. That was more than enough to relieve his almost broken heart.

The Queen felt the King pass out once again, but this time, in a safer place. With him. Arthur laid Alfred back in the ground where he slept on top of his bloodied coat. Arthur stared at the lamp as it gradually became unlit. Darkness ate the place again, but this time, Arthur held Alfred nearer−

The King and Queen of Spades wasting the night away together.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The three Diamonden royalties were calmly staying at the waiting chamber of the castle before the royalties of Hearts came. After leaving Arthur with Alfred in the cave, the group decided to come and see their supposed allies. They all sat down before Ludwig handed Francis the golden dagger he threw at the red king. Kiku and Feliciano twitched and watched with caution.

"I apologize for the need. Was your hand okay?" Francis chuckled as he took the dagger and hid it under his clothing.

"You were the one who wanted them gone. You could have asked for him nicely. Did something happen in Diamonds that made you compromise the alliance?" Ludwig sighed, knowing the other king was wise enough not to do senseless actions. However, Francis' silence took the attention of the red king.

However, before Ludwig could say something, Francis chose to impart something, "I− I just needed something from the Queen. If I simply asked for him, he would be so cautious− enough not to respond freely," he then looked at the king, "Which he did. King Ludwig, there's something about the King of Clubs that we needed to discuss."

"The man in the premonition," the red king spoke with his serious tone, "We were talking about that before you came. For now, we should focus our efforts in capturing the King of Clubs."

Kiku noticed Lili was looking at him, yet he could only look away.

"The premonition still has not happened yet," the red king noticed eyes were going to his queen, who apparently foretold the coming of the wrong person, "it's not yet time to dismiss the dreams of my queen. We should look into this with more depth. We shall hold a truce and propose a meeting with the King of Spades. The King of Clubs is still nowhere to be found."

"We should give it more days," Lili avoided the gaze of the red king as if she did not want to say these words herself, "the King of Spades suffered too much in the recent events. It might take him days to fully recover."

"Then so be it."

"The King of Clubs, huh," Basch whispered as he stared outside the window, seeing the ominous clouds lurking on the horizon.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Unbeknownst to a lot, a set of lilac orbs was staring off at the same ominous clouds. He was sitting on a riverbank, cleansing his deep wounds from a fight he could remember. He knew that the winds came from his faraway home at that time of the year, and that was where he should head to get back.

"Ufu, I wished I would suddenly come across some kind people later. I'm hungry and cold," he spoke as if wishing at stars instead. With a final wash, he stood from the banks and wrapped his arm with a scrapped cloth from his tattered coat.

The man then walked along the river, looking for a place where he could spend the cold night. Soon, he found a camp with some men drinking and dining. He was a rather uninvited guest, but they had everything he needed. Instead of cowering in the face of their drawn swords, the man smiled sweetly, "Looks like it had not run out~"

His sweet composure vanished as the bandits came to attack the poor man. He grabbed someone's hand to disarm him, and his head to make him scream. The lucky man's big hand crushed the bandit's head before throwing the body away. More attacked him, and more ended up dead. The bandits ran away from the beast incarnate, leaving their precious camp and booties.

The lucky man, however, did not care about those sparkling items. Then again, he scavenged for clothes that would fit him. He just piled the bodies somewhere away from the camp and sat before the fire after washing his hands. He coiled up like a small child while eating some of the meat the bandits left cooking and drinking the wine they did not bring. The lucky man then stared at the fire, "I wonder if Alfred is still alive."

…

**End of Chapter 14**

…

Thanks you for reading! Please review! I'm so happy to write a breather chapter, heheh. So there's a new arc coming right up. Actually, there are three of them.


	15. A Glimpse of Hell

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

An explosion led to the escape of Arthur along with the man who disguised himself as the King of Spades. For some reasons, he decided to rescue the queen, and even leave him with his almost dying king.

The King of Spades woke up momentarily as he felt someone was there with him. Arthur might have not told him any important events to date, yet they were both relieved both of them were now safe in each other's arms.

The night continued with Francis clarifying things with Ludwig. This conversation led to so many questions, yet they decided to concentrate their efforts in locating the King of Clubs and cracking his plans.

With the appearance of an unknown man, the supposed figured out plan became graver than they first thought.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"You should have killed him when you had the chance."

Strong words came out with a mellow voice as two people were conversing in a familiar place. It was prison cell where the King of Spades almost lost his life, and where the supposed deceased former Queen of Diamonds was staying. Jeanne was sitting on the bed, joined by her king, Francis.

"Yes, I could have. I should have, but there was something holding me back from driving a sword through his chest when I saw him lying lifeless along the path to Hearts," Francis chuckled darkly, a hand pressed against his face.

"He changed."

The King twitched inwardly, yet he only turned towards his former queen in confusion.

"I listened thoroughly to your stories, and I thought so hard in an attempt to feel what you felt when you watched him go through desperation," Jeanne turned to him as well, "The King of Spades changed. Human life was nothing to him, yet he went through hellish encounters just to ensure the life of his queen. He never grieved for his past queens, yet he challenged death for Arthur Kirkland."

She reached out to caress his hair, trying to comfort him despite making a supposed horrible decision, "His sense of value affected you so much, and being the King of Diamonds hindered you from executing such a man who knew the price of−" Jeanne whispered, "loyalty and love."

"Love?"

"When I looked at his eyes, I saw a soul on fire," The former queen smiled at him weakly, "It was no longer the frozen, empty hell he used to have. He was no longer a beast incarnate who lived to please his craving for blood and war; he became a man who walks through pain and desperation. It was hard to accept, but I think something in him changed upon meeting his new queen− and now, we could never simply slaughter him like we planned."

"I never thought there would be a day a royalty of Spades would finally succumb to love."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 15: A Glimpse of Hell**

…

Two days after the return of the King and the Queen of Spades, the whole kingdom was trying to return back to normal. The Jack had become a champion at dealing with the politics while the King was still asleep as he kept of recharging the magic he spent. The Queen never had the right to deal with most since he was a sorcerer and a lowly merchant so his days were spent in talking with his mother who was staying in the Capital.

Even a champion needed to rest so Yao took a break from all the meetings to stay in his chamber and drink a mid-morning tea. It was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon, yet the Jack was not spared from his tormenting thoughts. He remained seated with a cup of tea in his hand, yet his mind was lost in anxiety.

"If that Schrott man is inside his body now, what would it make Ivan? He couldn't be dead, aru."

In his far right, a caged bird started to sing faintly, just enough for him to hear it. The Jack turned to the bird and got up before taking the bird out of the cage. It was the same messenger bird with a strange collar. He caressed its feathers before putting it back to its cage and feeding it.

"In the end, he did not send anything back, aru," the Jack sighed as he walked back towards his tea table.

However, before he could sit down, knocks came to the door. Yao went to the door and opened it, only to see a knight with a weird expression. His inaudible report made the Jack gasp and storm out of the room to get to the dungeon where the supposed group of people was heading.

Then again, Yao's secret hopes were crushed by the fact that the news was real, yet the man escaped their bounds. It seemed like he only pretended to go with them as a means of getting inside the Spadanian castle with ease. In fact, the man they captured was going around the castle, hoping not to be found by any knight who could recognize or any maid who would give his location away to the knights. His presence was extremely a threat.

He was careful and cautious as he threaded through the hallways of the unfamiliar castle. He never had the chance to tour the castle of Spades before; the two kingdoms were never allies for almost a decade now− and counting− after all. Despite the dangers of being seen, Ivan walked through the corridors of sophisticated design. It was the hall where the portraits of the past royalties were posted, and it was where Ivan first saw the face of the legendary Spadanian Queen.

"So this is Queen Amebeth," he whispered to himself, faintly remembering the thoughts of the man who entered his body. He could still recall the hatred Schrott harbored for this blasted woman as he called her. Even though they lived in different times, he seemed to know the woman more than anyone else had.

Hearing loud shuffling across the other rooms, he swiftly coursed through the hall before the knights pass the place. However, the risk did not stop him from stopping as he walked past Alfred's portrait. He was the youngest one, like Ivan, in the parade of kings. His appearance today was nothing compared to his innocent look back when he was crowned. War hardened and toughened him so fast, yet something else started a fire in the way he gazes.

Also, unlike Ivan, there were multiple queens under Alfred's name. Their portraits all bore different auras, yet Arthur's was placed with hesitance. The King of Clubs hummed a bit before turning towards the door from where he was about to leave. However, the door from the other end of the hall took his attention. A small smile rose from his lips as he looked back at the Jack of Spades who eventually found him.

Like a normal reaction, Ivan took the moment Yao froze as a chance to flee. He ran off through the other door, making the Jack run to chase him. By then, the King of Clubs, who accidentally entered Spadanian territory and willingly came to the castle for some reasons, ran past most rooms to lose the Jack who was chasing him. He was also aware he was attracting more attention than he should. The young king ended up in the westernmost wing, crashing through a room where his instincts tend to lead him.

The open double doors gaped as much as Arthur's mouth did upon seeing the supposed enemy in the same chamber his precious king was resting. The queen unsheathed his sword in an attempt to keep Ivan away, but his hand shook so much the sword swings faintly.

Ivan stared at the sleeping king, observing how unconscious Alfred was. He then looked around the room for a weapon, seeing Alfred's own sword at first; but it was too near Arthur for him to pick up. Soon, his gaze landed on his sword standing on a corner. He remembered how Schrott made it fly and pierce through the other king easily. Right now, he was just happy to see it, "Ufu, Alfred kept it!"

He casually walked towards the sword and took it, brandishing it a bit as if familiarizing its feel again. By the time he looked back at the queen, the Jack was already there as well as some other knights.

"I− King of Clubs! What are you doing here!?" Yao called out, holding his spear even though he did not want to harm the green king, "Are you really Ivan?"

"Ah, it seemed like it's quite an issue today, but before anything else, I'm not going anywhere until Alfred starts talking. You see, there's a lot of things I needed to get out of him," Ivan spoke in his natural sweet-toned way of speaking, seeing no large threats at the moment.

"Is it really the King of Clubs? How did he get in here?" Arthur whispered towards Yao as they both watched his actions intently. The Jack was not able to provide an answer so the queen hoped to get one after dealing with him.

Ivan brandished his sword again, eyeing at the queen and the sleeping king. He called out to him, "Hey, Alfred~! You should wake up now. Your queen might get into some trouble if you don't."

The presence of the armed King of Clubs needed to be taken away from the unconscious King of Spades so the knights did what they had to do to protect the king. It was a dangerous game to play, yet they were ready to take their chances. Ivan was known to be as powerful as Alfred after all.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

_'−visions anywhere. Do you understand that?'_

_A distant voice called the little boy's attention from the sword display on their wall. He turned to the speaker and saw a young woman standing right in front of him. With a faint feeling of familiarity, the boy nodded and continued to stare at the woman as if waiting for something._

_The woman, who had golden hair and blue-toned clothing, then knelt down to pet his head, 'Ah, you should really listen to me. It might cost you your life. Come, I will make you something to eat now, but you need to promise me something first,' she held out a pinky for a promise, 'Promise me you'll never tell anyone what you __**see**__.'_

It sounded like a memory, yet it was from those which he never bothered to recall completely. Even though he was inside his own mind, he failed to recognize who the woman in the dream was. She felt familiar, but not familiar enough to be remembered− or that he refused to remember her.

He could still hear her voice echo in his mind, seeing flashes of this woman's face in things she does: cooking, reading, walking− dying. A loud pang enveloped his body as his mind was flooded with images of this woman dying over and over again with a sword piercing through her chest from behind as she cried his name. For the last time, the images slowed down, and instead of the unknown woman, it was Arthur.

_'Wake− up−'_

His eyes opened roughly as his heart thumped loudly again after the nightmare. Instead of a peaceful chamber, he found himself in a place where his knights were being hurled around by a certain big man. He could move a bit, yet pain threaded through every vein in his body. He watched the fight for seconds, seeing how reserved everyone was− most likely Ivan.

The King of Clubs was not trying to kill anyone, but he was causing wounds and bleeding to the knights. However, at one moment, he decided to grab Arthur by the neck and raised him high from the ground.

"Looks like Alfred's not waking up fast enough," he whispered, staring coldly at the struggling queen. His grip on his sword tightened as he attempted to throw the queen forcefully towards a wall. Before he could hurl the queen, who was holding back his magic, he felt a swift movement coming from his side. He hurriedly blocked with his sword, only to see Alfred quickly hurling a punch to his face.

Ivan dropped Arthur and pulled back accordingly to avoid the punch. The knights gasped at the sudden awakening of their weakened king. The queen wheezed as he tried to get up and help Alfred keep himself standing despite his obvious faltering stance.

"Good morning, Alfred," Ivan smiled at him, lowering his stance a bit to show disinterest in battle.

However, Alfred only glared at him before attacking despite his energy level. He ran towards the other king with his sword up for a heavy slash− until he felt the time slowed down, making him enter another trance. The vision blacked out before showing a darkened place with a lot of screaming and splattering blood. He saw Spadanian and Clubbish knights die swiftly as something coursed through them.

In the middle, he saw the proud Clubbish queen, in a gown of the dead, armed yet frozen in horror. Her mouth moved, yet he did not make out what she said. Her gaze went around as if watching something unseen in the dark until she was momentarily blinded by a strong fire that ate everything in sight. The view pulled away towards the sky, showing him a clear view of the smoking castle of Clubs− suddenly exploding into the smallest bits.

The trance ended as he hit his abdomen against something quite hard. His normal vision returned, and he found himself facing the floor and hanging from something. His brief paralysis welcomed the images of death replaying in his mind, and the complication of the visions. When he regained his balance, he slowly tried to get up on his own, only to discover Ivan caught him when he fell.

"My, my, Alfred, you're going to get yourself killed if you keep on fainting like that while fighting−"

"Clubs−" Alfred murmured, "Clubs will be destroyed."

The King of Clubs only stared at him after hearing him. Before he could talk, Alfred broke away from his assistance and walked steps back to get in Yao's earshot, "We had knights in Clubs, correct? How many were deployed?"

"Why are you asking that now, Alfred?" the Jack only received silence so he answered, "Ten thousand knights, my King. What should I ask them to do?"

Alfred stepped back some more to talk, but Ivan almost lunged at him when he grabbed the other king. The green king now glared at him even though he wore this smile, "Tell me, Alfred, are you planning to destroy my kingdom? Was that a threat, da?"

The blue king glared back at him, "I don't in−" That was the only time he remembered the sound Elizabeta made before the fire burst. She said something, a name− _'Schrott Fleisch.'_ The king painfully broke off from Ivan's hold as he planned to run off and get to the place as fast as possible, "Schrott's−!"

His mind was strong again, but his body was still as weak as it was days ago. His sudden movements rendered his body motionless, causing him to fall over. Arthur came to help him up, as Ivan walked towards the other king, effortlessly lifting him up to standing position, "You're saying something about that blasted man."

Alfred grasped at Ivan's hold on his arm before gazing at him, "I'm not sure when or how, but he's coming to Clubs, and he's going to detonate your castle− along with your people and my knights."

The King of Clubs gently put the other king down to his queen's arms before he curled his lips with his innocent yet murderous smile, "−Let's head over there and crush Schrott's head, shall we?"

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The noblemen of Clubs were all in line and in spectatorship as the rites of sending the Queen of Clubs to afterlife that evening. Like planned, everyone who played a major role in the ceremony knew the queen was alive− brought back to life to be more specific. The Jack of Clubs was only watching them intently, making sure no one was blowing up the delicate steps of their uprising. He also kept an eye on the Spadanian knights on stand-by.

The cue came, and arrows reigned on the enemy. The nobilities helped it distracting the other knights while the Clubbish knights who they secretly freed fought around to take back the castle. The Spadanian knights did not freeze in the surprise and fought like how they usually do. Chaos reigned in the castle as Roderich wheeled towards the casket, Elizabeta opening her eyes and breaking the glass with her fist. Rising from the shattered glass, she hopped off the casket and took the sword Roderich kept for her.

"Spades will never take my castle," she whispered as she walked into battle, challenging the commanders of the blue Crown.

The Jack hosted the evacuation of the noblemen and the servants as the knights swung their swords for a kill. He was left behind to further aid the Queen by grabbing a bow and arrow he was not proficient to use. He shot some knights down and missed a lot more before he felt something terrible was coming. A strong presence was coming from outside, and he could not pinpoint where it was heading.

"What is this?" he whispered as he looked around. He could hear loud screams of hatred and anger coming from the presence, yet there was no name to be caught. The only he could do was to ensure the queen was safe even though she could fight really well. He aimed an arrow at one of the knights fighting Elizabeta when something burst through the castle doors.

The Queen turned to the source of the explosion, only to see a figure hidden by the dark smoke. However, black things, as if they were arms, shot out from the figure and danced through the fighting knights. Every one of them was either burned to a cinder or drained of vitality and youth. Elizabeta brandished her sword in preparation as the enemy waltzed in the hall, killing every knight the arms passed.

By then, the knights decided to run away from the dark figure, but the queen stood still. Her strong, steady gaze started to waver as the figure became more and more visible to her. Her arm lowered a bit as her eyes widened, "Gil−" she remembered checking the pendant which light have died. She turned to him, "No, Schrott Fleisch−"

Upon the uttering of his name, the figure spread fire around him and everything the fire could devour. The dark hall was lit with flames, revealing the figure floating before the queen. It was the black joker's image, yet deep down they could tell it was not him anymore. The shock of the turn of events rendered her motionless, knowing that a joker can rob away a life as fast as it can give it back.

Schrott stepped down on the surface and walked towards Elizabeta, who could only step back. Swinging a sword towards him was futile; every royalty knew the jokers had bodies made of magic no normal sword could penetrate. He then reached out to run his fingers along her hair, "Greetings, Queen of Clubs, are you ready to die again?"

…

**End of Chapter 15**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review! Yeah, new vessel means new arc! We're just in the second arc. [Insert smiley face here.]


	16. Wildest Among Flames

Finally, an update. I'm sorry for making you people wait for so long…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

For some reasons they hadn't uncovered yet, Ivan was released from the bounds of the sorcerer king, Schrott Fleisch, and he decided to see Alfred when he found himself in the territory of Spades.

This meeting had led him to hear about something strange for Alfred to say, yet he believed him without much explanations. It might have confused everyone else in room, but getting rid of Schrott was now their top priority.

The royalties of Clubs surprised the conquerors during the fraud wake of the queen. However, someone crashed their castle in attempt to kill the queen yet again− this time, without chances of being revived.

With the appearance of the true enemy, the king started to be restless once again.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The breezy evening cooled the exhausted riders as they rode towards the kingdom they won. The king, clad in a thick blanket, kept on looking out at the horizon to catch a glimpse of the supposed burning kingdom. He was certain the vision he had will come true tonight, hearing the situation from Yao. The burial of the queen was quite a good diversion for an uprising after all.

As advice from Britannia, Alfred was barred from fighting while still recovering. Arthur was also asked to take major precaution since they were to face Schrott in battle again. Yao, on the other hand, was tasked to lead the knights for now while keeping an eye on the King of Clubs. Ivan insisted to go, claiming he would even though Spades would imprison him that very night. Seeing it as an unnecessary damage, Alfred took him in tow− knowing Ivan would want to kill Schrott as well for reasons he needed not to speak.

The four led the knights towards Clubs on three horses, Arthur riding his horse with Alfred behind him. They stopped at a cliff overseeing the kingdom of Clubs− finding it at peace in contrast to the king's words. However, Alfred stayed wary of the signs.

"Alfred, are you sure Schrott will be here tonight?" Arthur asked the wrapped king behind him.

"He'll be here. They were never wrong," the king whispered, leaning on his queen to keep balance.

"I have to admit, Alfred, you've become pretty lax in talking about magic, da," Ivan chuckled as he watched his kingdom from afar, "Aren't you scared to be prosecuted by your own Crown?"

The King of Spades only snorted as an answer before he turned to the other king, "You believed me right away. Is there something Schrott told you about me?"

"None at all. He was just thinking out loud most of the time−" Ivan smiled at him meaningfully, "about how strong your magic is though you're not a sorcerer. He then also spoke about how, uh, Queen Amebeth and Queen Elizia of Spades must have exploited you since you stood as a protégé to them."

"I don't remember any of them doing anything to me," he lied− as much as Arthur knew. Before he could continue, they noticed smoke flaring from multiple windows of the castle. The uprising had begun.

The horses neighed loudly before they marched down to get to Clubs in hopes of putting an end to the threat of the entire human race.

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 16: Wildest Amongst Flames**

…

"What did you do to Gilbert?" the Queen of Clubs discreetly looked around for any escape. In one touch, Schrott would be able to rob any life of a black suit royalty now that he owned the joker's body. She had no idea what happened in Gilbert's attempt, but she had a big clue what might happen to her.

"You talk like you don't know, my dear Elizabeta," the joker chuckled before grasping the queen's hair tightly, "The joker is dead, and no one is powerful enough to stop me from getting my body back! This path to my success− starts with you!"

Elizabeta's eyes grew wider as the joker motioned to grab her neck; however, an arrow flew towards the joker, piercing him right in the chest. It was not enough to kill him, yet it was enough to keep him paralyzed by pain for a while. The queen backed off as Schrott groaned and tried to get rid of the arrow.

"Elizabeta!" Roderich yelled from the distance, gesturing for her to run towards him. The queen did what was told, soon standing next to her Jack. He glanced at her, "Lead the knights and get out of here. He'll kill everyone."

"How did you−?" the queen was about to ask when the Jack plucked the string of the bow and loaded it with another arrow. She watched his eyes glow brightly as the arrowhead did, even until he shot the joker again. Elizabeta whispered, "What is going on, Roderich? Your eyes!"

"Just go, Elizabeta," he answered while loading another arrow, "I'll explain if I sur− is that−?"

The joker pulled out the two arrows from his body, hissing greatly at its pain. He was about to attack the Jack when he felt entities approaching the castle. Before he could get ready, a figure hopped from the raging fire, swinging a blade towards him. Feeling the anti-magic charm attached to it, the joker dodged the sword and the horse that landed nearby. He watched it gallop away, showing him the rider.

"Ufu, I didn't think I'll get to see the black joker way ahead of my time~" his childish way of talking showed, yet it did not sugarcoat the teeming dark aura around the Clubbish king. He brandished his sword as the horse walked around the scorching floor, "It's nice to see you again−" he glared, "Schrott Fleisch."

The joker smirked as he stared at the king who was supposed to be dead due to his overuse of his body, "Ah, King of Clubs, what a fortunate time for you to come home! I can't believe I could get rid of the royalties of Clubs in one night!" he raised his arms as if going to summon something, "Are you ready to finally die?"

"That is if you can touch me," Ivan raised his sword and aimed at Schrott.

He knew Ivan was taunting him, and he knew he could call that bluff even though his sword was blessed with anti-magic. He readied himself to lunge, only to feel something surged from the floor. Familiar black hands came to pull him down, yet he was able to fly away with a few burns. He then glared at a direction.

From the wall of fire circling them came hopping two more horses carrying the three royalties of Spades. Arthur swung his hand upwards as if commanding the black hands to swerve and catch the flying joker. Schrott went around dodging the hands, trying to get a good shot at them with his flames. Arthur knew well enough to use the hands to shield them.

Roderich loaded his bow again and aimed to shoot down the joker, or at least slow him down. He shot an arrow and another one, yet it kept on missing. The joker laughed at his futile efforts until Alfred decided to shed his supposed protective blanket and grab a sword struck nearby. He slapped a charm on it and forcefully threw it at the joker, piercing him where he pierced Alfred before.

"You mortals!" he groaned as he held the sword and his bleeding abdomen. Blood oozed from the joker's mouth before he decided to stop playing, "Resistance is futile! I will burn you to the ground, and the kingdom of sorcerers will rise!" The fire in the castle, caused by either Schrott or the uprising earlier, burst bigger and ate the whole place faster. Pillars started to fall down when explosions started and caused tremors in Clubs.

"We have to leave!" Yao yelled as his horse neighed when the ceiling started collapsing. Everyone else watched Schrott burst through the glass skylight, effectively escaping them. Elizabeta then helped Roderich on Yao's horse before jumping to mount Ivan's. The three horses neighed loudly again as their masters look for a way out.

"This way!" Alfred grabbed the halters of Arthur's horse and led it to a direction. The horses followed the King's lead until they ended up running towards a wall. Before anyone could state the obvious, Alfred used his magic again despite the warning of using it. The wall turned into mud and collapsed outward, making way for them. They escaped towards the deeper part of the city unaffected by the fire eating the castle.

They stopped at the spacious plaza and watched the whole castle explode from inside and cave in. The ground shook for a long while as the debris of the stone castle hit the ground. The citizens who were in the plaza cried in fear as their castle fell, yet the presence of their royalties in front of them was confusing− since they arrived with the royalties of the enemy.

Ivan, Elizabeta, and Roderich bitterly watched their castle turn into dust and broken rocks, while Arthur tended to Alfred who was groaning due to a headache. Yao looked around the sky, seeing a glimpse of black figure flying away from them. He then caught the king looking at it as well. The blue king slightly recovered before calling out to Ivan and leading the horse towards another direction. Elizabeta looked at the people as they rode away from them. Their reactions were inevitable, yet there were more important matters to settle.

Desperately chasing the flying figure led them to just stop at a hill on a higher ground. The figure vanished into the clouds, and it was far too hard to trace his movement in such a starless sky.

Alfred then turned towards Clubs and spoke, "What are you planning to do now? Stage another rebellion?"

The Queen of Clubs glared and looked at her ruined castle and devastated kingdom from the hill, "I− I can't just let my people be oppressed by barbarians like you. May not be tomorrow, but we will take Clubs back."

"Fair enough. Stay under me just for a little longer," Alfred whispered as he turned to Arthur, "We should gather the knights and check up on them. Schrott could be back in another day; we should prepare our−"

"What about you, King of Spades?" Roderich spoke, attracting the king's attention, "What do you intend to do? Are you going to let us, the royalties of Clubs, roam free?"

"I intend to do a lot," the blue king answered, "For now, I need to fortify Clubs' defenses and impose order, and for that, I'm letting you run things from your end. You'll report to me directly, and you have no choice but to give in to my demands."

"I hope you're not planning to exploit my kingdom's resources," Ivan commented before he decided to change the subject, "What about Schrott? Are we going to wait for him to attack again?"

"I don't know where he's going or what he wants from Clubs−"

"Gilbert told me things," Elizabeta decided to cut in, "One of them is to keep Arthur away from Schrott at all times. Schrott intended to kill me back there. Perhaps he sees me as an obstacle. One more thing, he said you have answers for my questions. What is really going on now? Why is the sorcerer king revived all of a sudden? What does he want from Arthur? Why did he take Ivan?"

Alfred only looked at her before he sighed, "I don't know a lot, but it seemed he was awakened for quite a while now. His physical body can only be recovered through Arthur. Who knows what compelled him to use Ivan."

"How rude. Let's just say he jumped from one person to another in search of Arthur. He just got lucky with me."

"Regardless of that, he wanted to relive his era," Arthur distracted the two kings from glaring at each other, earning silence and everyone's attention, "He wants the sorcerers to rule again."

"We can't let that happen, aru."

"Indeed."

"For now, we'll extend patrol along the borders to make sure we find where he hides," Alfred spoke as he led the horse back towards the castle grounds where the knights were waiting, "The joker seemed to lose his ability to remain hidden in plain sight. Our knights will be able to catch him or any movement from him."

Elizabeta twitched at what Alfred said, recalling the fact that Gilbert was gone. However, she just watched Ivan let his horse march to follow the other's horse. She then looked at Roderich who was looking towards the direction where they lost Schrott. She was not sure if Roderich knew, but it seemed she had to tell him some time.

Alfred took him in tow− knowing Ivan would want to kill Schrott as well for reasons he needed not to speak.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The group then arrived at the castle grounds where the knights had set up a camp for them, two sides trying to be calm around each other. Like discussed, Clubs was to remain under Spades as long as the King of Spades deem necessary. He also promised additional resources and men for the reconstruction of the Clubbish castle. In spite of that, he would be taking other forms of resources as spoils of victory against Clubs.

The night had gone deeper, and most of them were expected to be sleeping. Each royalty had their own tents aside from Arthur who was requested to stay with Alfred for their protection. That being said, it was suspicious for the King of Spades to be walking around alone to a side of the camp. He was still recovering from using too much magic, yet he found it hard to sleep in Clubbish territory.

By the time he found himself lost, he saw a familiar person resting underneath the shade of wide tree. The person was on his wheelchair again, perhaps looking out at the skies.

"It would be stupid for him to come back that fast," Alfred spoke as he got close enough to the man, "I bet he would need more time to heal that wound I gave him."

"I'm not thinking about that monster," the Jack of Clubs answered, not even looking over his shoulder to see who it was, "I am more worried about the joker. If he was the one worn by this Schrott, would it be plausible for him to kill us as he pleases?"

"Those words don't sound connected," Alfred decided to sit down on the grass next to the man on a wheelchair, "I never heard of anyone being friends with the joker."

"We're not friends."

"That will be interesting."

Roderich looked at him and glared at the king, "You should be asleep by now, Your Majesty. It could be a long day coordinating two kingdoms at once."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep peacefully in Clubs, besieged or allied," he chuckled, "How about you, Jack of Clubs? Shouldn't you be sleeping now?"

The Jack of Clubs did not answer right away. He was quite hesitant to tell the king. However, there should be no ill intention coming from the king now that he spoke of releasing Clubs as soon as he sees no more need to keep the kingdom as his own. He softly answered, "The joker spared me from death, from a disease that continued to eat up my body. Now that he's gone, I wonder− why am I still alive?"

"I guess it's because he has not touched you yet," Alfred decided to stand up in front of the jack, "I reckon you can still fight. If I do you a favor, can you promise me you'll be in my service until I release Clubs?"

"What does the king truly ask of me?" the jack replied; the glare in his eyes showed how he knew the king had more motives rather than simple goodwill.

"You seem to be more than an average human at the moment, Roderich," the king answered, "There's something about you that looks interesting to me− and something I can use in this war we waged against Schrott. Tell me, the joker gave you something, didn't he?"

The jack cleared his glare before staring straight at the king's eyes, "Back when we were escaping, you made us run through a wall that turned into mud seconds before we hit it. No one else could have done that but you since you were the one who led us there. If you want me to tell you what Gilbert gave me, you should explain yourself first, King of Spades."

"No need to explain. I'll show you," Alfred leaned forward, placing his hands on Roderich's knees.

The pressure made the jack twitch in pain, yet the way Alfred's eyes shone brightly pinned his attention on them. As well as the faint blue circle that engulfed the two. Seconds after, the lights vanish, and the king straightened with a hand massaging his forehead. The jack would yell− only if he failed to notice what he felt right after. He could feel the cold air on his skin, yet not on his face or hands. He could feel the soft blades of the grass, and even the wooden plates of his wheelchair.

Roderich's eyes slowly gazed down on his lap and then past it. It had been months, but he still hadn't forgotten the feel of his legs. He slowly lifted one of them just to make sure he could, indeed, move them. He then stared at the king who was now looking back at him.

"Don't awe at a secret, Roderich," Alfred whispered, "Just lie to people about them growing. Let's just say I am also blessed with a little bit of magic. Now, would you like to do your part of the deal?"

"Fine, these will sentence us to death after all," he answered, "Gilbert gave me a special sight to monitor everything I wish in the castle. Also, if I listen very well, I could overhear conversations from a remote place. Sensing and recognizing life force are also thrown in. Being faced with the existence of the sorcerer king in our realm made me realize why Gilbert would risk the order of life and law of nature just to bless a dying human."

"You really seem to be useful. I should take you with me some time−" Alfred paused as he saw someone walking towards them with his usual smile on his face. Ivan was approaching them, yet they remained silent until they get in his earshot. Alfred chuckled, "Pleasant evening, isn't it, Ivan?"

"It's a pleasant evening, da!" the green king greeted back and looked at the two, catching Roderich trying to hide something, "Ufu, looks like I'm disturbing something. Either way, there was something I want to tell you, Alfred." His expression changed as his eyes opened and grew a little sharper than normal, "When you breached Clubs, the bastard ran towards Hearts. I didn't figure out why, but I think you might be able to tell me."

Alfred dropped the pretentious smile before relaxing his position and crossing his arms on his chest, "I don't have an idea. I just followed him until he whipped me away with magic." He then smirked, "Why don't we knock on the King of Hearts' door to find out?"

"Very well then, we should pay him a visit, da~!"

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review. :')


	17. To Hearts

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

From a vague fortune from Alfred, the royalties of Spades and the King of Clubs rode immediately towards Clubs. Their goal was to kill Schrott, yet circumstances made them to lose him and just regroup the remaining knights.

The castle fell, but not the kingdom necessary. Even after the uprising and the inevitable encounter against the sorcerer king, Clubs was still under Spades− yet it was clear it would be released as soon as Alfred says so.

Deeper that night, Alfred walked around the camp before settling to talk to Roderich. He recklessly healed the man of his sickness, in exchange of service. Ivan came soon, giving way to their next destination: Hearts.

The four kingdoms began to move closer towards one another, yet it was not enough to completely save the Land.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The sound of dripping water echoed. It awakened the Queen, yet not in a place he thought he was in. _'Welcome back to the Queen's Maze'_, the stone walls seemed to say. Arthur found himself standing before the three mirrors again, but somehow, it felt different.

He looked down at his hands and carefully stared at them. The last time, he was too busy worrying about Alfred and attending to his work as the queen of their kingdom. Being alone only with his thoughts made him question his being. Despite standing in front of the mirrors, he felt like he was on his own.

A shell. That was what Schrott called him. A being solely created for the purpose of his revival. Did it justify his presence of mind? No. Did it keep him from feeling like a human− or a sorcerer if that was what he was? No. Did it keep him from falling deep for a real person? No.

"I loathe being awake at this time," Arthur murmured as he tightly closed his fists, "Doubting myself now will only weaken me."

"I suppose you were wondering about that."

A familiar voice came into his earshot. Unlike normal, he did not spring into action; he just looked before him to find her on a mirror. The woman who was mysteriously inside the maze with them. Her palms were pressed against the mirror, showing strange markings on them. She was smiling again, yet her unknown identity made it impossible for Arthur to get all warm towards her.

"You," the Queen shortly whispered.

"Greetings, Arthur, it's been a while," she snickered a little, "I was hoping you would crack the code by now."

"I have been through a lot. I have no time for codes," he replied before taking a seething step forward, "Tell me, mystery woman, is this the sin you did? Create me to help your king rise into power one more time!? Do you think this will be that easy?"

The woman dropped the smile and sported a malicious grin, "Never have we− or I− look at Schrott Fleisch as a king. He was nothing but a bag of filth with a crown. You were not designed to live a life, Arthur− you were not even designed to function as a human, let alone grow from a newborn's body. You were not designed to exist more than a container. You were supposed to be hidden from everyone. Breathing deep within the darkest shadows and underneath the shadiest holes."

Arthur stepped back and froze.

"You were supposed to be protected from everyone's eyes," she continued, "but look at you, now. Queen of Spades. Such ironic turn of events for me who created you." The woman pulled back but left a hand against the mirror, "My sisters were the insane ones, yet I was the one who earned the title of being mad. Amebeth sold you for power, and Britannia took you in the name of selfishness."

"What do you mean you created me?" Arthur stepped closer to the mirror, knowing the woman will disappear yet again, "Are you telling me you're my real− mother?"

"Oh, no, Arthur," she snickered lightly, "You're just a shell. You do not have a mother."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 17: To Hearts**

…

"Wait, you just said−?" the Queen tried to yell as he watched the woman take her hand away from the mirror. She vanished all of a sudden, making Arthur anxious about it yet again. "Damn!" he pounded his fist against the mirror− only to see a surprised Elizabeta through it.

Confusion was written all over her face. She then cleared it and spoke to Arthur, "Were you− talking to someone else?"

"It was hard to explain, Elizabeta," Arthur straightened and cleared his throat, "I did not know you were there."

"I was thinking about a lot of things before I talk to them, Arthur," she answered, "things that I must and must not impart to the other Queens. Our true enemy, as you call him, can possess anyone. The only people he could not be are us, the royalties of the black suits. I do not trust you, and mostly, your king, but I have no choice but to work with you."

The Queen blinked slowly in agreement, "I understand, but is a meeting safe today? Just yesterday, almost everyone knew you were dead. Is there a chance they will believe you about being revived for a greater cause?"

"They have no choice but to take it as the truth," Elizabeta went closer, "Clubs is now, even if I do not want to admit, under the rule of Spades. Every enemy of Spadanian king is ours. If your king ordered Hearts and Diamonds be burned to the ground, Clubs shall comply. Forcing Kiku and Lili to believe is the least of my concern now sadly. We are more enemies now than before."

"It does not have to be that way. Alfred knows who the enemy really is, and he would− if necessary− negotiate a truce among all the suits. We may be embodiments of pride and evil, yet we are not known to be stupid. We do not have to be enemies with the red."

The two queens only stared at each other before candles lit again from one of their mirrors. Kiku greeted them with cautious eyes, expressing no surprise at Elizabeta's presence. The Clubbish queen returned the cautious gaze, until the place shifted into another dark void.

Their bodies entered another metaphysical state as they stood around one another in the Queens' Maze. The four queens were silent, in contrast to their usual warm meetings. Kiku continued staring at the black queens, while Elizabeta eyed at both red queens. Lili only looked at Arthur− who happened to break the deafening sound.

"Lili, I hope your king's actions did not bring any unnecessary trouble to your alliance with Hearts," the Spadanian queen spoke, earning the attention of Elizabeta and slightly, Kiku.

"I cannot really tell, A-Arthur," she responded with a small tremble in her lips, "It seemed my king's actions opened new complications in our plans. Are you, by any chance, in your kingdom?"

The two black queens exchanged gazes before Elizabeta turned to them, "We're in the middle of hunting Schrott Fleisch. He was last seen in my kingdom so the royalties of Spades are here."

"Then it's settled," Kiku whispered. He looked at Arthur, "we will send delegations to meet the King of Spades. The King of Hearts aims to hold a truce and a dialogue between the red and black suits. My King proposes that the suits should unite and get rid of this sorcerer king before he gets powerful enough to put the land in such despair once again. Please let the King of Spades know."

"I will."

"And Arthur," Kiku spoke with his head turned away from everyone else, "I refuse to apologize to the King of Spades for my premonitions." He threw his gaze back at the blue queen, "I firmly believe that I am not wrong, yet the present circumstances render it incorrect. The premonition of seeing the current King of Spades, Alfred Jones, as the harbinger of chaos has been passed down from generations. I refuse to discard it easily. Please do accept my stubbornness."

Elizabeta sighed and looked at Arthur as well, "Sorcerers are living rats that reek of evil. They could easily play with Spades if they wanted to. I support Kiku's decision not to discard the premonition."

"He," Lili pressed her hands on her chest together before speaking, "gives off this murderous aura. The King of Spades is still a danger to the land. I agree with them."

Arthur looked at the queens and locked his gaze at Kiku, "I will make you all accept that Alfred is not what you think he is. Or at least who he used to be." He took a deep breath.

"I am not the only one who can see that now."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The morning sun shone dimly over the Clubbish territory as the men of the kingdom started reconstructing the broken castle. Ivan and Alfred were on a faraway hill as they oversee the construction. They were waiting for the others. They were all supposed to meet up there with their horses and enough supplies.

It was dangerous, they said. Yet it was better to leave their knights to guard Clubs when it is vulnerable.

"Alfred," Arthur called from a distance as they approach the kings. He was with Elizabeta, Roderich, and Yao; most confused by such hasty meeting. He got near enough Alfred who got his armor on already, "You are not supposed to engage in battle. Ride with me."

"We're going to Hearts," Alfred answered with a kind smile, "and I am doing better now. This place is way contaminated than Spades."

"Hearts?" Elizabeta twitched and looked at Arthur in slight confusion.

"We're meeting the King of Hearts. There is a lot of things to talk about, da," Ivan answered and started leading his horse ahead.

Alfred did the same and asked them to follow with gestures.

The green queen caught up with her king, "Should we not stay here? The castle is being reconstructed, and Schrott might−"

"We have what he needs, Elizabeta," Roderich answered, "We need to keep him away from Clubs as much as possible."

"Alfred," Arthur caught up with his king as well and started whispering, yet it was loud enough for them to hear, "A delegation from Hearts is on its way here. We should not leave."

The king looked over him and then to the other king. Alfred then turned back to his insistent queen, "We'll meet them halfway then. Like the jack said, we need to keep that bastard away from Clubs. Besides he was heading to Hearts anyway. We need to find out what he is going to do there."

"Perhaps talk you into destroying Hearts," the green queen spoke as her horse picked up the pace. All of them followed.

"He can only talk me into showing him enough mercy to make his death quick," the blue king chuckled darkly.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Preparations were underway when Kiku was walking around to check on them. It would be unwise not to take knights with them, but the King of Hearts requested for it to be at a minimum number. It would be alarming to the black royalties if they were to send what could have been a battalion− or even a brigade. The red queen soon noticed a suspicious barrel lying around the hall.

"Feliciano," he called as he kneeled next to it, "didn't Ludwig tell you not to go?"

"Veee, I got caught," the Jack whimpered before trying to get out on his own. However, he was stuck due to his amateur contortion skills. He was helped out by Kiku as soon as he cried again.

"Feliciano−"

"I want to fight next to you and Ludwig, Kiku," the Jack whimpered, "I always get left behind during wars, and I hate how I have to wait just to make sure you two are alright." He looked directly at his queen's eyes, "I know how bad things can get from here, but I wanted to at least stand as Ludwig's Hand at times like this! I want to be there with you, victory or defeat. I'm not the weak aristocrat you have to protect anymore (even though I'll probably ask for your help most of the time)."

The red queen stared at him for seconds before giving a kind smile, "I'll talk to Ludwig and to the archduke. We must let them know you're coming with us."

"Yay! Yay!" the Jack cheered.

Kiku watched him bounce up and down in joy, yet with the eyes filled with dread. Something was still amiss despite the revelation of their true enemy. The premonition was still something he could not understand. Why did it show the King of Spades if he was not the real culprit of the chaos? If it was the Sorcerer King, then why keep on leaving leads back to the blue?

Just last night, he dreamt about the premonition again. Of those large dreadful towers of fire. Of those large black flames that corroded the homes of his people. Of those menacing eyes the King of Spades wore when he single-handedly broke into the walls of Hearts. It was nothing but tragic, yet unreal. Horrifying yet imaginary. Why?

A familiar voice was heard from a distance, perhaps one that is talking to a commander. Kiku knew it was Ludwig's, and he decided to drop the trance and talk to him about Feliciano's plan. However, he just watched the Jack ran to the King and talked to him about it himself. Perhaps just expecting support from the queen.

The royalties met and started talking as soon as the commander excuses himself. Instead of a stern look, a worried face responded to the Jack's plea. The king looked at the kindly smiling queen before sighing, "Alright, you get your wish, Feliciano. Just−" he gripped at the shoulders of the Jack who whined in fear, "stick right next to me and do as I say, understand?"

"Y-Yes!"

The queen giggled a little, missing the small things that used to be there before the war has gotten all out. Or even when the war had not begun. He stopped. Looked. The tides of the war were changing, and right now, it could be as bad as having the whole war unnecessary. Yet it was ending. He could feel that. He only hoped they will all survive. Or just his closest friends, at least.

"Looks like everyone's getting ready."

"King Francis," Kiku greeted, "Queen Lili." He only nodded towards the stoic-looking Jack of Diamonds.

"Yes, we cannot let Spades turn down the truce," Ludwig answered as he released Feliciano and turned to Francis, "He might be or might not be aware of all that transpired, but compared to everyone else, he was the one who knows the most. This truce is our biggest shot at locating the sorcerer king faster. Preventing him from doing more damage than necessary."

"I'm still scared of the King of Spades," the yellow queen murmured, "He seemed to be more vicious now that he has a singular target or something of that sort."

"Don't worry, Lili, I won't let him get near you," the Jack spoke, earning the attention of most of them, "We might need him for information for now, but he is still the one that will lead the downfall of the kingdoms. Who knows if this is just one big joke?"

The two kings nodded at each other after a silent agreement. They ordered for commencement. The kings rode horses on their own as the queens and jacks were escorted to carriages. The band of knights from both Diamonds and Hearts rode after them. Gates were opened and soon closed, the royalties and their entourage had the walls of Hearts behind them. The winds became colder and denser as they made their way to the kingdom of Luck.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The moon guided them with its light as they travelled deeper into the east as the night grows old. The terrain grew rougher and less evident of paths, yet there were traces of war in the huge, rocky valley. The kings examined the place, seeing mostly two distinct coats of arms embedded in the wrecked armors left buried in the soil: Spades and Clubs. The valley seemed to be a popular battlefield despite being quite distant from both kingdoms. Perhaps it was used years before Alfred and Ivan's time.

"Your Majesty," a commander called out to Ludwig as he reached the king. He then whispered, "This place is suitable for an ambush. We must be ready. We also see movement over the plains above."

Before Ludwig could give a word, the knights up front gave a signal of defense. The knights were confused and alarmed for a moment before they realized the ground was shaking. Before them ran a horde of raging horses with riders armed for battle. The two kings and the knights prepared for battle as the carriages stopped to compute another route. The noise made Kiku and Basch open the doors and spied from there.

The bandits, or what they appeared to be, clashed towards the knights in one direction. Some knights were able to knocks the men down in one swipe. The kings did so as well, yet stopped when they noticed something was odd. The riders… they did not move. Rather, they were not allowed to move. They were wrapped in sticks and ropes to hold their position. They were also tied to the horses so they would not fall. There was one more peculiar thing about these men.

They were all dead.

"Your Majesty!" another knight called, and everyone else looked towards the direction he was pointing his sword. The red king frowned to recognize the silhouette standing on top of a crooked path high in the cliff side. He had a coat swaying along with the wind and a sword strapped on his back. His clear spectacles reflected the moonlight faintly, yet failing to hide the menacing gaze from those blue eyes. The figure did not have to speak for them to know. Yet the red queen decided to utter a name.

"King of Spades."

…

**End of Chapter 17**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	18. Chilly Nights

This must be the most OOC characterization you'll find out there, but I still feel them as proper royals can't act as lax as they are as nations who fight sloppy battles in the anime/manga. Also, I somehow tend to cut the second arc short depending on what I have to slap in the chapters.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The Queen of Spades woke up once again within the walls of the Queens' Maze. There, he conversed with the mysterious figure who then claimed as his creator and the fact that he was not supposed to live.

Soon after she vanished, the four queens, who were once warm towards one another, faced their counterparts with wariness and suspicion. They soon agreed about a truce to be delivered by the red king to the blue one.

However, the black kings decided otherwise and just ended up meeting them halfway. Wherein a valley with the trace of war, all the royalties of the four major kingdoms of Suits gathered for an unconventional meeting.

Plans will be sorted, and faith placed.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"Did you like my little surprise? Just making sure you're not armed enough to attack me."

A giggle followed as he heard his name spoken. Trying not to appear as menacing as he actually is, Alfred slowly rode his horse down the slope, soon followed by the other royalties with him. He caught the kings frowning, and the people in the carriage looking with suspicion. It was foreseen after such a small stunt they pulled.

Refusing to be unaccounted for, the King of Clubs started the supposed casual conversation with his normal, creepy smile, "Isn't it quite creative? Our welcoming act for you, da? We worked hard on killing those bandits roaming this place and making them stiff as possible to ride horses."

"It's the King of Clubs!" Lili gasped, cueing the others to arm themselves.

"Please stop," the green Jack walked his horse in between the two parties as if trying to mediate, "Schrott Fleisch had left the body of my king. Unfortunately, he now possessed the Black Joker who tried to suppress him when he was weak."

"The Black Joker?" Kiku whispered, "Then you will perish in one touch."

"If he could do so, da," Ivan giggled as he led his horse towards the two kings in front of the carriage, "This place seemed to be very inappropriate for formalities, but we cannot waste time. We heard you were proposing a truce among all kingdoms, to which we, Alfred and I, will sign in one condition."

"That is?" Francis decided to answer, leading to a deafening silence until someone broke it.

"Let's discuss our terms to the truce somewhere else," Alfred spoke as he led his horse towards where the red suit royalties come from, "Talking about matters out here in the open feels strange. More when Schrott could be lurking anywhere. Jokers are barely visible to any of us." He then waited for them to follow him to a hidden cave on the side of the valley, "And the smell of these dead bodies reminds me how close to death we all are."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 18: Chilly Nights**

…

The fire in the torches swayed at the feeble wind blew from the interior of the cave. The royalties and their entourage took refuge inside the cave for stated reasons. Around a makeshift table of flat stones they gathered. The kings were sat with their queens in between and the Jacks either behind them or next to them for advice. The sudden loud roar of the wind outside was a cue to start.

"So, what is this condition you ask of us?" Ludwig spoke, making sure he was not infuriating the black kings. It was crucial that everyone is at ease during the discussion of the truce.

"Answers," the King of Spades replied as he glanced at the King of Diamonds before looking at Ludwig again, "and you know lying is something we would not forgive."

Francis took a silent deep breath, knowing that he did the same for Arthur to get Alfred back.

"I don't know how much you know about this, but Schrott was headed to Hearts when we tried to corner him. Even Ivan confirmed that Schrott wanted to take Arthur to Hearts," Alfred simply continued, "Do the oracles of Hearts have anything to do with that?"

"Why question the oracles? Schrott is the king of the despicable race. The oracles will never let him rule the land after what happened centuries back."

"He wouldn't run off to Hearts without a reason, Queen of Hearts," Alfred responded to Kiku, "He was weakening, and he opted to reach your kingdom in time. If he was just trying to outrun me, he should have gone deeper into the woods without a direction. Also, he had expressed this desire multiple times to Ivan. There is something in Hearts that he wanted. Without the assurance that Hearts does not work with that bastard, I will not sign the truce, and I will invade Hearts if I have to."

"Ve! Isn't it too aggressive to invade Hearts!?" Feliciano blurted to everyone else's surprise; however, he didn't stop, "King of Spades, you don't have to force your way through Hearts for this. The oracles might be the shadiest of creatures, but they will never plan for something that forsakes the land, or even just the kingdom of their own. No one in Hearts wanted to have a world ruled by sorcerers again, and I can promise we will cooperate in ways to help end this dream of the sorcerer king! We've already shed enough blood in a war that isn't worth the price. Please reconsider, King of Spades!"

The table was plunged into silence again, with Alfred looking at Feliciano. His mouth would open, but the words hesitate to come out. He did not know how to answer the Jack. Not only that it was the first time they met, but also the fact that he was exuding too much devotion to creatures who could wreck a kingdom as they please. Perhaps it was different in Hearts, but Alfred knew the nature of the oracles. Amebeth had always told him not to let the oracles have his life on their hands too much. They were all one and the same.

"F-Feli− I mean, the Jack of Hearts is right," Francis broke the silence that almost choked everyone, "continuing the war is now unnecessary. We all know who the real enemy is, and all we have to do is stop him from− well, getting his power back."

The opinion from the yellow king's mouth made Alfred sure what to say next. He wanted to make sure each royalty in the meeting will not give in to the oracles at this point, "No. The war is necessary. We have to wage wars until Schrott reveals his plans. The oracles of Spades foresaw the danger, and they knew that chaos is the only one that will draw Schrott Fleisch out where we want him to be. Ending the war means losing all pointers we have on that bastard."

"We can't have more lives to be sacrificed for this!" Francis slightly protested, fist clenching against his thigh.

"In order to gain, you must lose. In order to bring forth peace and change, we must destroy what hinders them. The death of the knights who fought will never be in vain, da," Ivan smiled with a tinge of bitterness, "It's hard to accept, but this is the kind of reality we are living in right now. Not the fantastical ones our ancestors had dreamed for us, da."

"If we don't do this now, Schrott's eminent reign of terror will linger, aru."

"This is why we have to unite for once and put an end to Schrott," Ludwig spoke again after another round of silence, "Maybe it's right that chaos precedes peace and order, but combined efforts against a common enemy ended the days of the sorcerers. King of Spades, just one chance. Just one. If we fail this way, you can take Hearts for yourself."

"You sound like you're staking too much in this, King of Hearts," Alfred frowned, "but all you wanted is to know your kingdom will be protected as how I protect my own."

"Ufu, but having more than half the land is quite impressive, wouldn't it be, Alfred? I wonder if I will be allowed to rebel and conquer yours instead, da~"

"Not happening."

"I-I will not let you have Diamonds! I will defend it even if I have to play dirty!"

"It wouldn't matter, King of Diamonds, I can conquer you just as much."

With the King of Diamonds distracting the others with his struggle to 'outwit' the King of Spades, the Queen of Hearts whispered to his king, "What are you thinking?"

"With such high prices at stake, everyone will be pushed to desperation. It's not as strong as the real will to fight, but without a real chance at getting this right, we can only depend on our faith to win."

Feliciano watched everyone else as the three kings contest for imaginary situations. He particularly looked at the queens next to them. Lili looked as if she was scared to let the King of Spades decide, and Elizabeta appeared to be thinking about something else the entire time. His gaze then landed on Arthur who was in fact looking back at him. The jack smiled at him.

_'You don't think your King will make the right decision?'_

The Queen of Spades twitched as he heard the Jack talk without seeing him open his mouth. However, he did think of his words as if answering him, _'Alfred knows which step he should take. He's the greatest king that ever graced the Spades.'_

_'Then he will think of his people. It makes me a little glad we don't have to fight anymore. If we bring down Schrott, we don't have to fight, right?'_

_'The premonition still stands, Jack of Hearts. Without its true meaning shown, Spades and Hearts will always be at war.'_ Arthur answered with a small frown.

"I totally forgot about that!" Feliciano burst again, taking the attention of everyone. He then tugged at Kiku, "Ve, Kiku, do you think we still need to fight Spades even though Schrott gets defeated? I mean, the premonition you had, and the other queens before you is the−"

"It's not going to happen. Drop it," Alfred frowned at the Heartenese royalties, "I may have expressed my intentions on invading Hearts in order to find out why he wanted to be there, but the whole premonition tells me to be ruining all of the land. If you want to end this war between us just as Schrott dies, make formal apologies to my crown, Hearts."

Ludwig secretly held Kiku's wrist to keep him from speaking. He wanted to do it in his stead, "I understand your concerns about it, King of Spades, but a premonition passed down to the strongest fortune-tellers of my kingdom is not something we can disregard so easily. I do trust your words when you say you have no intentions of destroying the land, but I cannot completely trust the circumstances around you. You have not reached the heights of your acts in the name of desperation and desire."

"For now, we should just concentrate at the matter at hand," the Jack of Clubs spoke again, interrupting the forming tension, "Are we going to sign this truce in order to unify our efforts in hunting and killing Schrott Fleisch? Or are we going to continue discussing important yet irrelevant matters?"

"Describing it as a truce of peace and unity is not enough to make us see what we can and cannot do," Arthur spoke again, "What are you terms of the truce, King of Hearts?"

Ludwig brought out a bundle of scrolls and passed one to each kings in the table. The scrolls were opened and scanned by the three kings before Ludwig continued, "This truce generally asks for a ceasefire. Again, I want all four kingdoms to join hands in hunting down the sorcerer king. It also asks for a joined resource and workforce to monitor his actions. Shared information is also needed to make sure everyone is ready whenever this threat decides to attack. We must also−"

"I have to interrupt you at this point, King of Hearts," Alfred spoke as he rolled the scroll again, "I−I can only give you a ceasefire. I refuse let you take actions against him."

"But we wanted to help," Feliciano whispered.

"He's right, unfortunately," Elizabeta finally participated, "Not that we don't want to cooperate with the red suits, it's just that Schrott is after the Queen of Spades and me. Letting you take actions against him is getting the innocent involved. Also, most of us don't stand a chance against Schrott. Right now, we are the target of Schrott Fleisch. The best way you can help is to figure out why he is headed to Hearts."

"I have mixed feelings about this," Francis murmured, "It is as if I don't have to do anything, but I must participate. I don't want to stand back and let everyone else fight and have Diamonds benefit from it in the end. However, forcing to help will only hinder the rest."

"I'm pretty sure you'll find your use soon, King of Diamonds. It seems to arise at strange moments," Alfred whispered with a weird chuckle.

Feliciano looked around as everyone seemed to calm down again. He then smiled, particularly at the King of Spades, "Ve, does that mean we're all friends, now?"

"At the moment," Alfred gave him a fleeting smile at least, "I don't think we've met before. You are?"

"My name is Feliciano Vargas, the Jack of Hearts! I will be the happiest if peace comes under my reign!"

The King of Spades chuckled lightly before looking at the scroll again. He thought, _'Even the way he present himself is different. He must be looking at everything else in such a different light. Brighter than everyone else in this place.'_

"Ufu, how about we go to Hearts now and investigate about Schrott's possible destination, da?" Ivan giggled, "That was the plan, right, Alfred?"

Alfred broke from his trance and took a deep breath, "Right, that was what we thought of doing. You can just say you need to make changes in these documents based on what we talked about tonight. It's gotten too late. We must sleep for now and continue traveling tomorrow. It could be a long way back for you, red suit."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

A feeble song echoed through the cave as the silence let the wind sing. Everyone seemed to be fast asleep, yet Arthur was seated in front of the cave. With his back against the stone wall, he thought of things he cannot bear to say to anyone. It was as clear as it was now. He was not supposed to be something close to a human. He just remembered how his mother avoided that question whenever he brings it up.

"The woman in the maze. Her words−," he looked down at his tired, open hands as he murmured, "If I was not created to live, then why do I have a conscience?"

"Because the purpose of creation doesn't define your existence."

Hands held Arthur's, and it was natural for him to look up to see who it was. He saw the Jack of Hearts smiling at him, with his hands squeezing the Queen's lightly. Arthur looked down again as Feliciano sat down in front of the queen.

"Ve, sorry. I can't sleep, so I tried walking around. I heard you so I came."

"You don't have to. I don't need you to comfort me," Arthur tried taking his hand back, but Feliciano only let one slip his hold. The blond felt pressure on his left hand as well as a sting. He frowned at the jack.

The jack, still smiling yet bitterly, turned Arthur's hand around for them to see a gush drawn along his arm, "You're hurt."

"Probably from the fight earlier. Those bandits were well-trained to fight against knights after all."

The queen was about to pull on his hand harder when he noticed an orange circle draw above his wound. It was slowly healing, and it was Feliciano who was making it possible. Soon, the queen saw the jack finish and smile at him, saying, "There! Good as new!"

Disbelief was written on Arthur's face, but he decided to clear it since he knew Alfred can somehow do the same. However, Feliciano was still holding on to his hand as he spoke.

"Did you know? Sorcery and magic did not vanish after the Crowning. They were only made exclusive to the sorcerer families who can wield them and were enslaved by the human race," Feliciano stared at the healed wound, "Then again, this kind of maltreatment was vanquished in other kingdoms aside from Hearts. Intermarriages between sorcerers and humans happened, and it made magic and sorcery weaken at every generation. Hearts refused to give it up, knowing that one day, the world needs to fight something bigger than the oracles themselves again. Isn't it a little funny how we ended up right all along?"

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"The fortune-tellers of Hearts were never wrong. One of our duchesses did foresee the return of a sinister power… and another did say blood will rain again. It's not quite evident now, but sooner or later, the premonition will come true," he looked up at Arthur, "I'm scared, Arthur Kirkland. Hearts will be put to ruin if it happens. I don't want my kingdom to suffer at the hands of something we cannot stop. Or something close to that like the sorcerer king."

Feliciano gave another broken beam, "All I can do is heal people. I'm not that useful of a fighter against him, too. But if what they said is true, then you're enough to stop Schrott Fleisch, right?"

"They?"

"The Sorcerer Sisters. They said you're the key and lock to an unprecedented catastrophe," he chuckled, "You see, my mother worked for the castle. Toddler me was walking around the halls night after night− then one time, I overheard them arguing. One of them wanted a sealed room for the baby, then another would suggest letting him grow up. One supported having the baby grow but through utmost supervision of the crown. I guess they never agreed on anything because one of them ran off the morning after."

Feliciano turned away from Arthur and to the dark horizon outside the cave, "Back then, I did not know who they were. Soon enough, I learned they were called the sorcerer sisters or simply the Sisters. I don't know how they came to Hearts, but they were there with an unnamed infant. They did leave after weeks of being entertained by Queen Sakuya." He then looked back at the queen, "I recognized Queen Amebeth as one of them so I thought the infant was actually you. The magic shell that Schrott Fleisch seeks."

"Why are you telling me all this? I don't understand. Does anyone else know?"

"No one else does. Just me and you right now," Feliciano turned back to him, "If I told Ludwig and Kiku about this, they will have you killed. Getting to you is the only way Schrott will be able to achieve his goals. I also know that the King of Spades will fight for you, and the war will only get worse. To think that you were created just to contain him and prevent him from being complete− yet you might be a reason to worsen a war."

"For someone who smiles so pure to carry this kind of burden," Arthur answered. He then hesitantly placed his hand over Feliciano's, "I will assure you. He will never get to me, nor will I ever use my being against humanity. The terror Schrott Fleisch garners will end under our reign."

…

**End of Chapter 18**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on so please tell me what you think. QAQ The chapters are getting way longer.


	19. Speak to Me

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

Within a hidden cave in the valley, the royalties of the four kingdoms met and discussed the supposed joint campaign to rid the world of Schrott Fleisch. Before that, many mattered were triggered.

From the strange behavior of Schrott wanting to reach Hearts, to the baffling premonition, and to the scope of the acts in order to counter the grave danger, the royalties continue to stand for their reasons and beliefs.

Soon, when most were at slumber, two unlikely royalties talk about the assurance the Queen of Spades made. Some secrets were revealed by the Jack of Hearts, yet it was not enough for Arthur somehow.

The day is approaching, and the walls of the Kingdom of Hearts await their coming.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

_"Oh? Are you sure you don't want to destroy that place? We can always make a new one."_

_"Why ruin it if we can take advantage of it being built already?"_

_"Because if we don't, they will try and rebel against us."_

_"Rebel? It's funny how you're here yet you can't tell who you are talking to. Everyone rebels against me, but you know who always wins. Everything is prettier when blood paints on it."_

_"I like how you're a son of Hearts yet this bloodlust consumes you. Sorcery makes everything not the way they seem, doesn't it? The urge to extinguish life, just like how you crushed that child's neck."_

_"Say that again, and I will stab myself if it means making you stop talking. You don't serve anything but distraction to me."_

_"I am not mere distraction to you, and you know that," the voice trailed, "Your− Majesty."_

Shock and difficulty in breathing made Alfred wake up from some sort of a nightmare. He breathed loudly as he felt consciousness taking over. He could hear voices in the distance, yet he could not make out the words they say. He shifted a little to see Feliciano and Arthur talking. Alfred's frown at the scene and was about to get up when another voice distracted him.

"The way Feliciano says it sounds so suspicious."

He turned to his side, seeing a conscious King of Hearts who was just leaning against the stone wall. He seemed to not move that much for the two to realize he was awake and eavesdropping. The red king even spoke in such a whisper his voice would not be audible to the two.

Alfred chose to continue pressing his back against the stone wall, "It what?"

"His fears for the kingdom," Ludwig answered before gazing at the other king, "You look like you had a nightmare."

"I don't get nightmares."

"Ufu," the King of Clubs opened an eye and looked at the other two kings, speaking in whispers they all do, "what did you see this time, Alfred? It must be pretty terrifying for you to sweat like that, da. Was it me beating you?"

"…Worse," Alfred spat softly.

He did not want to converse with the eavesdropping kings. However, he was bothered that he was not awakened by the conversation of the jack and his queen. He should have heard it, and the fact that he could not make out the words intrigued him. Then again, he just wanted to rest. Whether he liked it or not, it haunted him.

This unknown voice in his dream haunted him.

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 19: Speak to Me**

…

_"Alfred," a soft voice called him, "Alfred, wake up."_

_He slowly opened his eyes to see a pretty woman peering from above him. She had the face of a lady in her thirties yet her aura was as if she had lived for a hundred years. She had her dark hair propped up by an elegant headdress which also held her crown in place. She had a tunic of blue and leather bodice of a darker shade. Her golden eyes grew narrow as she smiled at him._

_"You slept through it again. The whole day."_

_"Is it sundown?" his almost high-pitched voice asked the lady as he was pulled up from where he was seated._

_"What is a king that does not pay attention? Hm?"_

_"I'm not a king yet," he walked with her as she walked ahead to collect the book piled up at the corner of the courtyard. He was five steps behind her, just to make him feel like he was watching the woman glide across the ground instead of walk. Her long dresses and capes had always added up to the illusion._

_"Oh? But you will be. Soon enough, everything in Spades will be yours, Alfred," she chuckled before turning around to face the child who paused, "and what am I, a former queen, to be if I cannot groom you correctly?"_

_"You're still Queen, Queen Amebeth," he argued as he walked around her to avoid her gaze. However, he ended up staring right into her eyes as he went, "And you have a new king."_

_"Ah, yes, the oracles crowned another one, yet I always deem everyone else cannot be compared to you. You will always be the greatest one Spades could ever ask for."_

_"Still not king."_

_The queen chuckled lightly and walked with the child until they gathered the books. Instead of leaving, she sat down on the ground, elegantly swaying her dress and tunic to avoid creasing. The boy followed her, plopping next to her. She chuckled lightly and took a book from the pile on her lap, "You know I don't have long, Alfred. You said it yourself. What did you see again?"_

_He hesitated. He then spoke after a long pause, "Why do I see things, Queen Amebeth? Am I different from everyone else?"_

_"Oh, you're not different. Different is," she paused while thinking of a better word, "let's say, too plain. Special. Extraordinary. Otherworldly. That is what you are. You have to be different and celebrated in that way to be great."_

_"But I don't want to be. No one plays with me if I'm different."_

_"Soon enough you will get a queen of your own that is as special as you are. Together, you will win the war. Do you want to be that person to bring peace to the land, Alfred?"_

_"Am I going to die?" the child cocked his head to the side._

_The queen smiled and petted him, making him jerk his head down, "Does it matter, Alfred? You will succeed. Life and death cannot determine success."_

"Alfred?"

For the third time, Alfred felt waking up. His mood was as menacing as his actions at some point, yet the face that welcomes him calmed him down instantly. It was his Queen, and he looked worried. Alfred then broke into a fleeting smile before discreetly stretching, "I'm awake, Arthur."

"I've been calling you for a while now. Is your body still recovering from you using it too much?"

"No need to worry. I'm all better. I'm just a little− outbalanced from time to time," he did not feel like lying at the moment. The two dreams were distracting him gravely, to the point of him not wanting to move. He was shaking underneath the coat, and his hitching breaths gave it away.

Arthur kneeled in front of him and held his face with both of his hands. They just looked deep straight at each other's eyes before Alfred look away. He then started getting up from being seated, of course accepting Arthur's offer to help. He was on his feet now, only to give his queen a strange smile before turning on his heel to head outside the cave where everyone else might be waiting.

Outside, he waited for Arthur to help the queen up his horse before getting on his own. Alfred then looked around the other royalties, seeing how Ludwig was by the carriage as if talking to the passengers. Francis was next to him as well. Roderich and Elizabeta were talking seriously, while Yao was suspiciously speaking with Ivan about something he whined about. However, Arthur blocked the view to gesture a 'let's go' to his king. Alfred nodded and let him led the way. The King and Queen of Spades soon joined the group which started traveling back to Hearts.

Needless to say, Arthur was worried about the king. He was not himself ever since he woke up that morning. Hours into travelling and Alfred not speaking with him made it clear something was wrong. He was even there in front with the King of Hearts and King of Clubs, the Jack of Spades a little behind them. He frowned at the king's back, so hard he might be asking him to look back at least.

"Queen of Spades," a voice called Arthur's attention, making him notice the Jack and Queen of Clubs rode with him in the middle. It was a bit alarming, yet knowing that the carriage was behind them soothed his guard a bit. The Jack continued, "There was something bothering the King of Spades. Do you know of it?"

"How does that concern you?"

"He's still in our list of men we cannot trust," Elizabeta answered in a tough tone yet mellower than how she would normally say so, "Any suspicious state of mind of your King is alarming to everyone."

"There was a sudden surge of menacing magic last night. It was so strong I knew it was near me," Roderich kept their eyes pinned on the king's back, "There were two, actually, but the other was faint and light. I assume the King of Spades used his magic last night."

"I was," Arthur tried to shake them off, but their alarming messages concern him, "I was awake last night. He was just sleeping. He didn't do anything."

"You three," the King of Diamonds who was nearer the carriage went to them, seeing it suspicious for them to be whispering among each other, "What are you talking about?"

The three paused for a moment, knowing it was crucial not to keep anything. It might make the alliance sour. Roderich chose to mellow the mood, "The King of Spades is acting weird, don't you think, King of Diamonds? He's strangely anxious even though we're not exposed to any pressure."

"He's been like that since last night, but being a secretive prick that he is, he wouldn't talk about it. Argh, why does that child have to be so difficult at times?"

"Child?" Arthur echoed as if a rebuttal, "He's a grown adult."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't think like one. He must act and think like a mature person from time to time, but the way he acts on his priorities is comparable to a child (even though I am impressed by how he truly cares about them). It was as if he was preserved to think that way. By any chance, is he really raised by the Queen Amebeth of Spades? Isn't she one crafty woman?"

Elizabeta chuckled in ridicule, "I guess he really is preserved to behave like a child if that's the case. Queen Amebeth of Spades is a discreet slave driver. If she aimed to make him abide her will without any doubt, she will either turn him into a child or a dog."

"It must be horrible, looking up to a queen as such," Roderich replied.

"I don't know Queen Amebeth personally, but it does seem like it," he just agreed. He did see Alfred a child to be protected outside his own field of vision after all.

The chattering behind them, which grew louder, started taking the attention of the two kings in front, with the exception of Alfred who was completely ignoring them. Ludwig took a quick glance before Ivan told him not to.

"It's fun to hear them talk, da. It feels very different," he giggled, "Royalties of the four kingdoms walking through the plains as if traveling companions. If only someone would compare this to our past conflicts~"

"I think it's better to assume we're all working for the same cause now, aru," Yao whimpered to keep Ivan from saying something that might offend the red suit king. However, all he heard from the red king was a relieved sigh. The Jack then turned to his King who had been ignoring a lot since earlier. Yao turned to Ivan who was gazing at Alfred's direction as well, before looking at the blue king's back as well.

"Alfred," Ivan called, with a tone enough to make the other king turn to him to acknowledge his call, "do you think it's wise to bring Arthur to Hearts?"

"Why are you asking me that now?"

Ivan whimpered and hummed as he looked up at the cloudy sky, "Hmm, maybe because Roderich brought up something earlier before we left. We're going to see the oracles if we come there, da? Which means we're exposing Arthur to the entities who tend to eradicate him. You heard the Jack of Hearts last night. The Oracles of Hearts will have Arthur killed to prevent Schrott from forming."

"I am aware," Alfred lied, yet the new information did not faze him, "They'll probably be out there to have me killed, too. Then again, the royalties of Hearts are not asking for a worse war so the oracles should keep their cool. I am not in the mood to be sympathetic."

"You're not really in the mood for anything, aru," Yao led his horse closer to Alfred, "What's going on, Alfred? What's going around your head?"

The King of Clubs turned to the King of Hearts, "There are times that Alfred tends to see images from somewhere. It guarantees him some results he would get, da. I don't hear of what these images are, but I'm pretty sure it's the one that's throwing him off. We can't expect him to make a sound decision with a temperament like that, can we?"

Ludwig was slowly taking it in, yet he decided to act on it as quick as possible, "This thing the King of Clubs speak of, is it true? You're able to see visions?"

Alfred slowed down as if asking the two other kings to catch up with him. The other two did, and he spoke without looking at any of the three listeners, "If the premonition ever happened, what will do to stop me?"

"We'll probably kill you, da."

"Where did that come from, aru!?"

"Neutralize you."

The King of Spades made a fleeting smirk and followed it with silence.

Ivan then hummed again, glancing once at the chattering crowd behind them, "Is that my permission to kill the one holding my kingdom imprisoned?"

"What's going on, aru? Are you feeling something funny, Alfred?"

"To successfully do so, we need more information about you and your fighting style," the red king murmured.

"My style doesn't matter. I just don't die fast," Alfred glanced at Ludwig, "You probably need to destroy my body."

"Ufu, what's with sudden change of hearts, da? Are you starting to realize the premonition will actually happen?" Ivan then looked at Yao as if asking him not to speak for now, "Is it because the oracles will kill Arthur, da?"

"I just feel like something's not right, and I have to warn everyone," the blue king spoke softly, "I don't care what happens to me, but you need to protect Arthur at all costs. Even from those blasted oracles− Hearts and other kingdoms alike."

"You've changed," Ivan giggled, "It makes you a lot more vulnerable now."

Before Ludwig could speak, they caught Alfred wince and threw a hand towards his forehead. The two kings looked surprised, and the jack came to his aid. However, Alfred blacked out. His body just shut down without notice, and it just fell to the side off his horse. Yao and Ivan instinctively tried to catch him, the Jack calling out.

Kiku felt the surge of magic and was alarmed when the carriage stopped. He grabbed the knob and opened the door to quickly go out. Roderich clenched at his chest in the middle of the conversation, feeling the same streak of sudden menacing magic being casted nearby. Elizabeta came to him and looked around, only to see the scene before them.

"Alfred!" Arthur called as he dropped off of his horse and ran towards them. He took Alfred to his arms, and they gently lowered him to the ground. He then brought him closer, "Alfred? Alfred!"

"It's happening again," Ivan got off his horse as Ludwig and Yao did. In a flash, even Francis and Kiku were around them. The King of Clubs continued, "He does that whenever he gets his visions. So involuntary and dangerous, da."

Kiku looked at his king before kneeling down before laying his palm flat on top of Alfred's eyes. He closed his eyes and a red-white circle drew underneath him, "I'll try to see what he's experiencing. It won't hurt hi−"

The Queen of Hearts paused. He was not sure what to make of what he was seeing Alfred was seeing. The body was perfectly still, yet his mind was running wild with all the visions repeating over and over unlike the ones he had before.

Everything looked noisy but there was no sound at all. Maybe because no one was there to make them. The images were flashing faster than they could see each clearly, but there was something clear on each. Death. They saw multiple people dying over and over again. Most are diced, but some were just holed by brute force. The people died in many different ways as if the visions were unsure how all will end. Only one thing was sure: every single one ended up dead.

Kiku's mouth was left agape until the red-white sorcery circle faded away. He slowly took his hand away and sat down on the ground, not trying to meet anyone's gaze. Alfred then started to get up as well, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone either. The two remained silent until the Queen of Hearts finally spoke.

"What could probably do such atrocity?" he murmured, covering his mouth with a hand.

Alfred held on Arthur's shoulder tightly and used him as a post so he could stand, "Me."

…

**End of Chapter 19**

…

Thanks for reading! Whaaa! Please review! My anon review is on! I'm feeling pumped about the story because I'm going to end it soon. Like around chapter 25 or something close to that.


	20. For Power and Love

Sorry for the long no update season. I had been doing a lot of things. Also, I thought I uploaded this one. Apologies to JPN lovers, too. I can't JPN right.

I also learned a lot of things, too. But I got too lazy to make changes here. Just see the next chapter for these changes. Those are just grammatical changes, anyway.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The King of Spades was plagued with weird yet haunting dreams. The first was about two entities talking about destroying the world or a kingdom perhaps. Their words were hard to decipher yet it was inviting dread.

The second one was about a memory of him and Queen Amebeth. She talked about how he was to be crowned King and how he had to sacrifice for the greater good. It was followed by an awkward ride with everyone, though.

In the middle of their conversation, the king fell into the third dream which the Queen of Hearts saw as well. It was filled with death, and his claim made it harder to believe. What was it that made him do it to the people?

With the dangers closer than they expect it to be, the king has a plan− not one he could keep.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"You?" Kiku turned to him and was about to say something, but Alfred kept on moving to get on his horse. Everyone else were confused and ended up watching him as well. The queen got up with Ludwig's assistance, "We can't continue without discussing this, King of−"

"I'm not discussing this with you before I sort this out myself," Alfred smirked and pulled on his horse to make it neigh so loud and stand on two legs momentarily. It got most of them step away from him, but Arthur only raised his arms halfway to guard himself. With his arms up like that, the King opted to grab the queen and pull him to his lap, the queen yelping at the action.

Alfred then ended up kicking his horse's side with his leg, making it race away to the distance. Francis opted to run to his horse and chase them as well as Elizabeta did.

The Queen of Hearts then yelled, "You know it's still going to happen even if you run away from us!"

"I'll take my chances!" Alfred yelled back before disappearing from their sight, only to have Francis and Elizabeta on their trail, "See you in Hearts!"

Ludwig grabbed his saddle, but Kiku held onto him lightly. He turned to his queen, who gazed at him soulfully. The king let go of the saddle, only to hear the other royalties come near them.

"Ve! What just happened? Why did the King of Spades run away?" Feliciano rushed to his queen and his king, but all he got was silence.

"Did he hurt anyone?" Lili asked as she came near Kiku, "Where is my king? Did he get hurt?" However, she just received a hold on her shoulders from her Jack.

"I'm afraid," Kiku closed his eyes, "'Not yet' is the answer."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno −Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 20: For Power and Love**

…

"Where are we going, Alfred? Why are we running away?" Arthur held on to his hat as he was lying on his stomach on Alfred's lap. From there, he could see the King of Diamonds closing in, with the Queen of Clubs at the distance. The Queen of Spades looked up at his king before gazing back at their pursuers, "Alfred, they're getting closer."

The blue king tried letting Arthur sit on him instead of proceeding with him hanging like such. He then glanced to the side as he noticed the yellow king next to him already, "Diamonden horses are really fast, aren't they?"

"Stop at this very instant, King of Spades! What are you doing!?" Francis grabbed the reins of Alfred's horse to make it slow down as he did.

Elizabeta finally caught up with them before circling around them and keeping the blue king from running away again, "What do you think you're doing? I thought not making the red suspicious is a rule during this alliance. Is that not the case now?"

"You don't understand. I need to get away from you as far as possible," Alfred tried to avoid their gazes, but he ended up looking straight at the green queen's eyes, "You'll end up dead again. This time, you might not be revived magically anymore."

"What does that mean? Are you planning to kill us?" Elizabeta unsheathed her sword, "Why?"

"It's not a plan," he replied darkly.

Arthur, who managed to sit up properly by then, held on his king's shoulder, "What do you mean it's not a plan? Is this like the time when you said Clubs will be destroyed?" However, he was only answered with silence and an averted gaze.

Francis, who had his guard up, dropped it and spoke, "I wonder what you two saw. You look terrified. The look on your face resembled the one you had when you escaped to save your queen from an execution. How many of us will die, King of Spades?"

The Queen of Clubs would mock him about the display of fear, but she could understand what it could be somehow. If it was her, she would be also scared to lose the person she cared about the most, even though he was already taken away from her long ago. She only sheathed her sword and hoped it could be averted. This tragedy. She whispered, "I don't see anything that might trigger you into swinging your sword against us. Are you certain it will happen soon?"

Alfred looked at Arthur before taking a hold of the queen's arm to show them a slit in his sleeve. He did not say anything else, before he threw his gaze back to the green queen, "Let me talk with Arthur first. I refuse to discuss this matter with anyone else. I care not about the speculations they have back there. You should head back. I'll meet everyone in Hearts. I will not run away. I wish to know what lies in Hearts that Schrott wanted… and I shall destroy it."

Elizabeta wanted to decline but Francis released the reins of Alfred's horse. The blue king turned to him for a while before proceeding with great speed. The Clubbish queen was not assured of anything, but she decided to retreat for now with the King of Diamonds next to her.

"Why did you let him go? He might just come back when our guards are down."

"I have a feeling that Alfred Jones won't be that man anymore," Francis looked back as if seeing the king's horse, "and if ever it happened, at least he tried his best to stop it."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

After stopping by a bit to let Arthur sit properly on his horse, the king and queen of Spades were traveling alone once again. The queen's thin arms are wrapped around his king's waist while his forehead was pressed against the other's shoulder. Instead of going fast, the king decided to just let the horse walk while straying from a straight path towards Hearts.

"This has been happening frequently," Arthur chuckled as he listened to the sounds their surrounding was making, "When was the last time nothing weird happened to your campaigns, Alfred? Was everything clear and expected until I showed up?"

The king stayed quiet.

"When I first met the queens, they said a lot of anomalies had been happening to everyone. I did not even know what to say. I was unsure what was wrong until I realized I was an anomaly myself," Arthur decided to speak even without his love responding, "I tried to understand what was happening, and I did. Until Schrott Fleisch appeared and ruined everything I know."

Alfred motioned to turn, but he did otherwise.

Arthur noticed the movement, but he still continued. "It was all a lie," the queen chuckled, "My whole life was a lie. I believed I was just a normal merchant boy vending silk, and that I would remain such until I die. Maybe there will be some changes, but being a Queen to the Kingdom of Spades never occurred to me. I thought it was jumpstart to a new life; I didn't know I will be dying soon. I'm not a human being, Alfred; you found out. The way you still hold on to me; is it still because you love me?"

"…We're both fabricated for this one event in history, Arthur," the king finally spoke, "A magic shell to contain the power of evil, and one designed to slay it at all costs. We're like chess pieces perfectly placed at every circumstance to make sure we are where we should be."

"But you were a boy born into aristocracy and was trained by the greatest queen of Spades to be a king someday. I don't know how this was a set-up."

"The Jones never had a son," Alfred chuckled, "They can't make one. I came to the Kingdom of Spades with Queen Amebeth. She was just a mere lady back then; void of any titles. She sold me to an aristocratic family and promised to meet me when I grew a bit older. Even before she became the Queen of Spades, she knew something was going to happen, but she did not know how big it was. After the beheading of Queen Sakuya, she trained me to be king. I guess she was relying to my magic for a long time."

"I don't understand, Alfred," Arthur raised his head and hoped the king will at least glance at him.

"…My real mother was a fortune-teller, and she foresaw me being a mass executioner of human lives. Even though it hurt them, they arranged to have me killed. Queen Amebeth bought me from them and took me away from my family. It was fine; I was just a baby, and they wanted me dead. I was then raised in Spades, and was conditioned to forget, but Mother reminded me from time to time. Even though my memories about her were slowly disappearing. My visions were not as grand as what my real mother always see, and they were mostly about deaths. I know people are going to die even before the chance presents itself."

He stopped for a while to turn to his queen, "I told Queen Amebeth she was going to die at the hands of a king from Hearts, and she did. I saw the failed rallies of some knights, and they died. I saw my sword piercing through the body of Queen Jeanne of Diamonds to win a battle, and we won. I saw Diamonds burning, and I did burn it. I saw Clubs ruined, and it was. I saw everyone slaughtered, and I saw myself standing there." Alfred looked away again to lead the horse through the steep mountainside, "I've seen you multiple times, and I don't want to be the one ending your life. You always cry for me, and every time you do, there is this painful feeling in my chest."

The king then whispered, "So when you asked me if I still love you, I can't answer. How can I possibly promise love again to someone who will end up dead through my own hands? I used to, but not anymore."

"But do you?"

"I wanted to believe that even though we have been set up to meet and be with each other years ago and everything else that we believe in was not real, my love for you is the only thing that will never betray me."

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The royalties continued to travel at their pace even though the King and Queen of Spades chose to take a different path. It was alarming to everyone, what the King of Spades saw. It was quite far-fetched considering the state of their forming alliance. The blue king had no intentions of killing everyone, including his own queen, and he had no reason to do so as well. However, they decided it would be better if they will be ready for anything.

Unlike earlier, the group was clumped closer, with Kiku riding Arthur's horse. He left Feliciano, Lili, and Basch inside the carriage and decided to be next his king. The ten royalties and their entourage were quietly faring the plains as they travel back to Hearts. However, the surroundings were turning darker than expected as if rain was heading towards their way. It alarmed Kiku, and he tried not to let anyone else know.

"We should find a shelter before the rain falls," Elizabeta looked up at the sky, "It's almost sundown, but we might need to sit the rain through as it comes. What do you say, my King?"

"Ufu~ getting wet isn't fun, da."

"You look disturbed," Ludwig finally noticed his queen's face, "Was it terribly dark when it happened?"

"And raining," Kiku responded as he realized he failed at keeping such a poker face about the vision, "It makes me wonder how Alfred was able to see visions like such. Fortune-telling was exclusive to the aristocrats of Hearts. Yet it sounded that he had been having these visions for a long while."

Yao sighed and murmured, "Ever since he was King, there were times he gets to confident in rallies no matter how bad the odds for us were, aru. It was as if he knew he was going to win even before the fight happened. There were also times he would be overly cautious, and those were when we lose. Aiya, I really thought I knew everything about him."

"He's been fighting to survive for a long while, da," Ivan chuckled lightly, "I wonder what will actually happen, da~ I don't believe he could just march right in and kill me."

"And he could heal himself and a lot of other things," Elizabeta added, glancing at her Jack next to her.

"Despite being an epitome of Spades' core, he now appeared to be nothing from his kingdom," Kiku looked back at the other royalties around him, "Such accuracy in his visions…"

"Maybe he wasn't really born in Spades," Ludwig spoke yet his eyes were pinned towards the horizon, "Perhaps his family was not purely human."

"Impossible!" Elizabeta reacted in confusion and denial, "He's the King of Spades! Their ruler must be pure-born to their land! Wasn't that quite an unwritten rule?" She turned towards Yao who was the only Spadanian aristocrat left in their company.

"Aiya," Yao scratched his nape and tried to look away from the queen's gaze, "It doesn't work that way in Spades. The oracles tend to choose by benefit and potential rather than purity of blood. We had royalties that were not born in Spades, yet they pledged loyalty our crown and no other, aru. As long as they serve our cause, they are welcomed to be in the kingdom and occupy a position designated to them− be it Jack, King or Queen of Spades."

"Such a dysfunctional system," Roderich scoffed before turning to the King of Hearts, "It was quite a wild idea to have, though, King of Hearts. What made you perceive that the King of Spades is not born in his kingdom? Doesn't that sound like you are saying he was Heartenese by blood? Fortune-tellers only exist in Hearts, don't they?"

Ludwig sighed and finally turned to the others, "In fact, I do think he is. Years ago, I heard from my mother that a duchess who had premonitions about great fires and floods once gave birth to a son. However, she also foresaw the monstrosity of the son so they opted to have him killed. It was just a rumor that went around the castle, but they said the baby was taken away instead."

"Could explain a lot," Francis muttered, "Like your strange trust in his decisions."

"More reasons to be more cautious around that king," Elizabeta whispered.

"It's hard to believe," the red queen gripped tighter at the reins of the horse. However, there were a lot of things Alfred could do that a fortune-teller should not be able to do so. As if there was something more to him than being one. Then again, it was a start. At least it was.

The Jack of Clubs paused and looked up the darkened sky. Droplets of water fell on them as the rain proceeded to drizzle. It was a light shower so Ludwig asked them to continue until they find another cave to take shelter from the rain. However, Roderich did not. He was just looking up at the sky even though the water was blurring his glasses.

"Roderich?" the Clubbish queen called him yet he did not budge. Even the King of Diamonds paused to check up on them. Soon everyone else stopped. The queen led her horse nearer the jack, "Roderich, what's wrong?"

"This rain," he finally spoke before turning to his queen, "I can't sense anything under this rain. This isn't a normal shower. It's infused with magic." He took off his glasses and closed his eyes for a moment. The moment he opened it, it was glowing as if he was using magic. He did not pay attention to the gasp of the crowd, only to look around in precaution. He then stared at the horizon from where the wind was coming from before yelling at everyone, "There's something headed this way! He knows I can track him so he called forth this rain!"

Ivan unsheathed his sword quick and turned towards the direction where Roderich was looking, "Ufu, there are only a few people who knew Roderich is a walking sensor, da! Me, Gilbert, Alfred, and…"

Everyone hurried to unsheathe their weapons as Elizabeta spoke loud enough to alarm them, "Schrott."

From the dark clouds embracing the sky, a flying figure swept into sight. He hovered around the group in circles before pausing meters away from them. He flapped his wings once and laughed out, "Getting inside the dead joker's memories is as convenient as learning his tricks, isn't it? Being favored by the joker sure gives Clubs quite an advantage as well."

Schrott reached out as if taunting Roderich, "This rain was supposed to hinder that sight of yours, but it looks it was amplified by that person who treated you. It's such a shame to be killed by your friend, Ro-de-rich."

"Don't say my name as if you are Gilbert, blasted king of sorcerers," the jack spoke with disdain, "You'll never get want you want. We won't let you rule again!"

"Oh, I don't understand, sweet children of humankind," the sorcerer formed three towers of fire underneath him to threaten them, "please, enlighten me."

"We said," the Queen of Clubs entered into a battle stance, "we're going to end you tonight."

…

**End of Chapter 20**

…

Thanks for reading! Please review! QAQ My anon review is on.


	21. Long Kiss Goodbye

I lied. I might need to extend this to 30 chapters.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

With the King of Spades' mind in shambles, he decided to run off to talk with his queen in private. Even though it was suspicious behavior, the rest of the royalties were forced to let them leave.

The royal couple of Spades strolled through the woods as they attempted to sort their feelings. However, instead of discussing the fearful vision, Alfred opted to confess about his truest nature. A fortune-teller under the blue crown.

Moments later, rain fell on the moving group, but it was not natural in any way. Schrott Fleisch attacked once more with the last strength of the Black Joker- with all the desire to turn this encounter into carnage.

The dark skies and the magic rain bothered Arthur, and it was up to Alfred how everything goes from here.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"Nevertheless, I will never let anyone hurt you, Arthur." Alfred had one of his hands let go of the reins and hold Arthur's hand. "I swear to the Crown of Spades that you will not be harmed ever again. Also on my honor and pride."

Arthur only gave him a bitter smile even though he would not be able to see it. It was nothing less than a promise Alfred could never keep. He knew his love would fight to make it true, but with an enemy as strong as the tyrannical sorcerer king-

A sudden chill ran across the queen's spine. There was something amiss about the surrounding. He turned behind them as he attempted to see through the holes of the canopy. There was a massive black cloud moving parallel their path. It seemed to be raining along the valley. It looked like a normal rain from a distance, but the presence of fire underneath it was alarming. The fire itself was obscured from the view, but Arthur knew what it was.

Before he could speak again- this time with determination, Alfred kicked the horse's side to make it run faster. He also steered the horse towards the cliffs before a ravine. They were going further from the valley they were supposed to follow. The queen knew Alfred knew the fire spelled danger.

"Alfred, we have to help them," the queen whispered even though he did not put up a fight.

"We are," the king responded. "We shouldn't be involved."

The queen stared- better yet- glared at the king's back. "But our allies are down there. Yao is down there."

"You don't understand, Arthur." Alfred led the horse to the edge of the cliff, making sure they will not fall off despite the speed. "Schrott needs you, and going there will only let him get close. We're taking a longer path back to Hearts. No buts from you, my queen."

"I do understand, but the idea of us abandoning them all of a sudden is-"

"It's not sudden, Arthur. The kings knew." Alfred continued to keep his calm as they went along the crumbling path. "This is a decision Spades is willing to make. The jokers are dead, and we are rendered immortal." He gasped softly as the horse slipped. "Letting them die out there will not make a difference to any of us after all. We are the kingdom which core reeks of dominance and power." He was able to get the horse to a more stable footing. "The end doesn't always justify the means, but this is what gave us the label of evil."

Arthur looked back at the dark cloud above the canopy. He could imagine the battle that could have been taking place. The pain screaming along one's body, and the blood painted on the muddy ground. The look on their faces: the look of defeat and desperation.

_'What beats sorcery is sorcery.'_ Arthur pursed his lips. _'Schrott can only be extinguished… through…'_

As they entered the woods again, the queen decided to slip off from the rear. He braced himself as he rolled on the rocky terrain. He did not know if Alfred noticed or if the king was on his way to pick him up again. The moment he was able to pull himself together, he darted to a sprint towards the valley.

_'Only two of us are allowed to perish.'_ Arthur kept on running without paying attention to Alfred._ 'It's either him- or me.'_

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 21: Long Kiss Goodbye**

…

"Arthur!" the King screamed as he felt the queen's movement. At the corner of his eye, he saw him slip down to the ground and roll to keep himself from getting hurt more than he should. He pulled on the reins to make the horse do a hard turn and get to Arthur as fast as he could. But there was something wrong.

He… ran away.

The king watched Arthur ran away from him. His queen was heading towards the valley to fight- and would possibly try to destroy Schrott. For a moment, he froze. For a moment, he was scared. This scenario would jive with the dream. Arthur was there right in front of him, bleeding like crazy on the ground. He could remember the separate flashes of Arthur's heavy breathing, and a blood crawling down his arms.

Arthur could not go there. He should not. Alfred would not be able to live through seeing his love's blood on his own hands. He could kill everyone and kill them all again, but never Arthur. Maybe, maybe, just one time, he could stop his vision from happening. All his visions about Arthur had not happened yet after all.

So with a fragile hold on his motivation, he whipped the reins and rode the horse to catch up with Arthur. A bitter grin curled his lips yet it was wriggled by doubt. When he was getting nearer, he mounted on the horse's back only to hop off and tackle his queen to the ground. They ended up rolling twice before Alfred pinned Arthur on the ground.

The queen yelped at the tackle and at the further actions. He was about to yell at Alfred, but he listened. The king did not say anything, nor did he grab Arthur up without considering his brute force. He was silent. The sorcerer looked over his shoulder to see his king's face. Alfred lifted himself a bit, giving enough room for the queen to roll and face him. He stared at the king's wry smile.

"What are you planning to do?"

"What about you?" The king scoffed under the grin.

Arthur lifted his torso a bit before pulling himself away from the king. Alfred got up on his own first before helping the queen up. The sorcerer looked at his love before gazing towards the direction of the valley. He took a deep breath and turned to face the king again.

"Defeating Schrott could be a long-shot, but I wanted to believe we can do it. Not because we must, but because we are indeed more powerful than he is. This era is not for him to reign anymore."

"I know. I want him destroyed more than you can ever imagine." Alfred walked past Arthur and closer to the edge of the ground they were on. He looked down at the steep trail down back to the cliffs next to the valley. "But it doesn't mean that I am willing to let you get near the battlefield."

"Alfred, I can" -Arthur frowned at the king- "fight him. I have the same abilities as he does. More powerful even!"

The king turned to him and walked till he was merely inches away. He held the fuming queen's face with both of his hands. He whispered, "You can't go out there. I would let you if only" -he swiftly slid his hands to Arthur's shoulders and pushed him down to sit on a tree stump next to him- "you can control that magic like this."

"What do you-?"

Arthur was cut off as he felt the tree from under him grew around him. The trunk swirled and swallowed most of him, only leaving his head out. It was too late to notice the blue circle underneath the king. The queen could only look at his love as he felt betrayed by him. However, Alfred stood there unmoving. He soon reached out to caress the queen's face.

"I'll be back to free you, Arthur. For now," -he took a deep breath- "I have a king to kill." He leaned in to give him a long kiss before stepping back. After showing a final smile towards his beloved, Alfred walked away.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

For it was magic, Schrott's flames ate the stones around them. The air had gone warm and thin; temperature ravaged them as if in high fever. It was hellish in the valley despite the cold rain. The royalties overworked themselves just to stand up to the once king of sorcerers who miraculously gained enough power to virtually wipe them from existing. However, their hearts were strong as their will to stop the world from falling into despair again.

With swords thrown on the ground and bodies writhing in pain, the three kings stood before the sorcerer. Francis was badly wounded, one eye shut from a deep laceration. Ivan barely held his formidable stance, clearly forcing his body into a limit. Ludwig had his hands trembling in exhaust, deploying his defense magic more than his body could handle. And yet Schrott was still there, one-winged and less sturdy.

"Hah, if this is all you do to stop me, then I don't have anything to be afraid of!" The sorcerer forced a laugh. "With that King of Spades deserting you, you will never win!"

"We can kill you even if he ran off." Ivan spoke in his serious tone, no smile rising from his lips unlike normal. He only had a few left in him, but showing weakness never got him anywhere. Besides, Alfred was just as strong as he was, wasn't he?

The King of Hearts straightened his back and took a deep breath. Once more, he activated his magic, turning his body into a complete shell of the strongest ore. He charged again towards the sorcerer whom just readied his fire spell in an attempt to throw him away or burn him to death. As soon as Schrott fired his spell, Ivan and Francis had already run to his side to deliver a coordinated attack. Not only was he not stunned, but the sorcerer was also amused at their efforts. He jumped out of the way just in time before those two would slice him in three.

But jumping out of the way only gave Ludwig the opening for the spell dissipated. He charged directly towards the sorcerer and hit him with a magic shield. Schrott was sent flying towards a big rock which he crushed upon contact. The two other kings brandished their swords and did not wait for him to rise from the rubble. Francis pierced forcefully upon seeing the sorcerer's body lying. But Schrott managed to blast him away with a shadow spell. Good thing he blocked it with his sword, or else he could have been scorched to cinder black. Ivan took the distraction as an opportunity and slashed off the sorcerer's arm. He, too, was blasted away with the same spell yet from another hand.

"Amusing, but not invincible." Schrott laughed under a groan. He just lost a hand, but he knew the enemies were just as unfortunate- or worse.

The King of Clubs shook his right hand with his sword on his left. He could not deny it was burned with shadow hand that slapped him away. However, it was not enough to render him defeated. Francis only held on his damaged eye and groan softly at the pain it was causing. Also by that burnt palm on his left. Ludwig struggled to stay on his feet, magic eating away his life force.

"Look at you" -Schrott gestured at them- "giving your lives away for a cause. Making peace with other kingdoms just to make sure you have a common enemy." He laughed out. "But all of that will be for nothing!" He swished his only arm to the side, and five purple circles drew around his feet. Multitude of arms made of shadow shot out from the circles and flew to grab them.

Not just the three kings. All of them.

The three dashed out of the way and into the path to save the nearest one they could. Kiku gathered enough strength to sit and flared a barrier to protect himself, Feliciano, and Lili. Ludwig used his magic shields to deflect the hands aimed for Basch and Roderich. Elizabeta managed to stand and attempted to fend for herself before Francis grabbed her to dodge the hands. Ivan sliced and slashed the hands nearing Yao before picking him up and getting out of the way.

Schrott kept on laughing and laughing as the hands continue to attack the royalties. The ones who were moving finally took a stand next to the others. Kiku kept on holding on to his barrier, only to feel heartbreak as he looked at the dead knights of their entourage. Some of the royalties were only kept alive by the truth that the jokers were dead. And to think that they should guarantee that Ludwig, Feliciano, Yao, Basch, Lili, and Francis walk out of this conflict alive.

"You are weak! You had always been weak!" Schrott clenched his fist as he made the circles wider. More hands shot out of the gap, making Kiku grow his eyes wider.

However, blue circles embraced the purple ones on the ground. Everyone noticed the change- especially when the circle started closing and the hands started dissipating. The sorcerer ground his teeth as he realized someone was countering the spell- and that someone had stronger magic than his shadow hands. He turned to the direction where the caster was, only for him to laugh in malice.

"KING OF SPADES!" he called out as Alfred emerged from the smog of the battlefield.

The king's eyes were lit bright blue with a circle of the same hue swirling around his feet. His sword was unsheathed and ready to strike, as much as his glare at the sorcerer.

"I should have known you're a magic user as well! I should have eradicated you first!" Schrott laughed as he ready a fire pillar to plow down the blue king.

"You tried to do that a lot of times, but I'm still here!"

The circles disappeared as well as the unnatural light in his eyes. Schrott threw a pillar towards him, which he dodged fast to get closer. The sorcerer hopped and hopped away as he continuously cast spells to hit the man. At this point, Kiku released the barrier and huffed in exhaustion. His king and his jack joined him in an attempt to protect him if need be. The other royalties joined their colors as they watched from afar.

Schrott threw a fire ball which missed Alfred yet created gust of wind and soil to obscure Alfred's sight. He then casted a pillar to ravage through where the king should be. It was indeed too late for Alfred to evade, and fire ate everything. The royalties gasped collectively, setting their eyes on anything that could have been the blue king's remains.

The sorcerer seemed to know that it was not enough to neutralize the blue king. He paused on his tracks and watched the pillar continue burning. From its blazing red-yellow flare came out a figure on top of a blue magic circle. It was Alfred… half-burnt yet walking. His sword's handle and hilt were melted into his bleeding hand, and his clothes were tattered by flame. However, his eyes were again lit in bright blue.

Faster than ever, his wounds healed as his burns dissipated as if not inflicted. Before their very eyes, the blue king regenerated most of his body lost to the fire pillar. In contrast to everyone's shock, Schrott only smirked.

"I see now why you keep on being annoying. You inherited Elizia's time magic. Oh what wouldn't I give to have that kind of power to reverse time? Or even imitate that effect." The sorcerer readied his next attack. "But your body isn't fit to contain such power. You will die in using it more than you can."

"Trust me I've been testing my limits again and again." Alfred held his hand fused with the sword to prepare for an attack.

"Let me help you with that!" Schrott laughed out again as he called forth a giant circle in mid air. It looked like a door of some sort, which made the royalties stand back. He continued laughing as the door started opening.

"This is the gate of the netherworld! I call forth the spirits of the sor-!"

The sorcerer was about to fire a spell again when he felt pang crawl all around him. He groaned loudly at the sudden feeling. The circle started breaking as he felt getting weaker until it shattered with a harsh gust. Everyone managed to stay standing yet Schrott was being overcome by pain. He writhed on his feet, making the royalties beware. The sorcerer coughed out black liquid and clenched his teeth.

"Argh, that cunning joker!" He held out his amputated arm and noticed the flesh melting into what seemed to be ink. "The more I used magic, the faster the body deteriorates when the spell is activated." He glared at Alfred and tried to stand straight. However, even his legs were melting.

The sorcerer yelled in aggression and had his wing burst into a blob of ink. The black substance painted the ground like thickened blood. Alfred and the other royalties realized his body was being destroyed in minutes. Elizabeta softly cried, "Gilbert."

"Gilbert cursed his own body," Roderich spoke under a huff as he tried to straighten. "He knew Schrott would take over and could die with his flesh."

"I never thought the Black Joker was this" -Yao clenched at his spear- "selfless. Giving up his own body, aru."

Basch held onto his sword. "Then again, he might just jump out."

Schrott writhed in pain some more as he felt more and more of his borrowed body was becoming liquid. He reached out his trembling hand and laughed. "Then I'll just take someone's- what?" He glared at his hand. "I can't-"

Alfred readied his sword and took no extra time to deliver another slash. The melting man dodged every swing of his blade, spurting black ink on the king. The sorcerer who was down with no reliable limbs ground his teeth more as Alfred was successfully advancing. However, the king twitched as he realized something was wrong.

"The goo…" he murmured as he looked down on his free hand which was splattered with the black liquid. Soon, it started smoking along with the other spots where the liquid was. "It's acid!" He yelled before screaming in pain as his body finally reacted to the melted flesh of the joker. He kept on healing himself with his time magic but the spots never went away.

Schrott frowned at the scene before him and soon laughed out. "The Joker's blood is indeed acid to the ones he harvest! I didn't think even Elizia's magic cannot help you with that! Now I shall kill you with the curse of the Black Joker!" The sorcerer laughed before launching himself towards Alfred in an attempt to dissolve him and take him to the afterlife with the dying sorcerer.

Alfred's eyes widened as he froze, watching the melting man fly towards him. He would move out of the way if he could, but the pain had already paralyzed him. He was wrecking his own ears with the screams of his subconscious. From all the way, Yao yelled his name and tried to run across to save the king.

Howling wind swooshed overhead and hit the melting man, throwing him away further from the blue king. It was not just wind, though; it was a ball of purple-colored matter with the sound of fierce winds. It seemed to have hit Schrott and vanished. Alfred slowly turned towards where it came from- as well as what everyone else did. There stood before the smog was another figure.

"I dare you" -he lowered his hands- "to touch my King."

…

**End of Chapter 21**

…

Thank you for reading! Please review! My anon is on!


	22. The Prophecy Unravels

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

It was a risky call, but Arthur decided to go and fight for what he believed in. He had to stop Schrott Fleisch even in the expense of his life. Of course, Alfred disagreed and caged him in a tree, only to go in his queen's stead.

The royalties tried to defeat the sorcerer king, but they knew their combined efforts were not enough to put him to rest. Yet they stood firmly to challenge the odds to put up a fight against someone who will destroy the future.

Soon enough, Alfred arrived in the battlefield and dropped all bars in fighting the sorcerer king. He had the upper hand with his time magic until Schrott started melting and had him frozen in pain with acid.

Before Schrott could lay a hand on him, someone came to save him. However, it only made Alfred very afraid.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"ALFRED!" Arthur screamed as he watched Alfred disappear into the horizon. He was stuck inside a tree, and he had to break free as fast as he could. He struggled and struggled, only to feel it was futile. Sharp breathing followed his actions as well as his eyes running amuck.

"How am I going to escape from this?" He asked himself. Only his face was outside the tree, and burning the tree would only kill him. He had to find a way out before Schrott kills everyone. Before Schrott kills Alfred.

_'Arthur, listen to me. You know where you can find me.'_

A strange voice came to Arthur's ears. It was not a sound; it was more like something created inside his head. The queen took deep breaths and closed his eyes. The void he saw slowly felt different, and soon turned into darkness found in the ceiling of a poorly lit room. He panned his vision towards the mirror before him and spoke, "Are you always here in the Queens' Maze?

"Mother?" he spoke in ridicule.

"Sadly, a part of me was locked here in the maze until such a time I used up my remaining magic." The mysterious woman was there yet again, her hands pressed against the mirror. "I don't plan to talk to you again, but I can't help but to help you after everything that I heard."

"What do you mean?"

"Alfred's charging towards his death face-first, and I will never ever let him die for you." The woman was using a harsh tone. She clawed the mirror to clench her fists. "I can help you out of the tree, but it would cost you pain in return. I can't believe Alfred will fall for something like you. Something I created even."

Arthur went near the mirror and pressed a palm against it. "You don't" -he wore a confused frown- "used to talk to me like that. Why did you suddenly change? Is this about Alfred?" The words got caught in Arthur's throat. "D-Do you love him?"

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 22: The Prophecy Unravels**

…

The woman twitched and looked away. "I took care of Alfred the most, and yet he was still called Amebeth's every single day. Even back in Hearts, I- I was the one who was craving to get his attention." She turned to the queen. "Then Amebeth took him away days after Britannia took off on her own. They both left me alone as if I'm useless to them.

"They have no right to do that to me!" She slammed the mirror with one of her balled fists. "Even Sakuya said it was for the best! So I cursed her and her lineage to bear no daughter to continue their line of fortune-telling!" She calmed down a little. "I then followed Amebeth to Spades. There I" -she pressed her forehead against the mirror and almost cooed- "I saw Alfred again." She glared at the queen. "Amebeth was deceiving everyone about him and was using him for her own gain.

"I know it was disgusting to create a shell in the form of a human child to contain magic," she almost cried, "but to trade such an innocent child like a pot of gold is unforgivable! He had the power to see death, and Amebeth sold him to the Spadanian Crown for a place in its royalty!"

The woman went silent and looked up at the queen. "If you love him a bit less than I ever had, you will gladly sacrifice yourself to save him, Arthur." She straightened and took a deep breath. "I will grant you my power of time magic if you promise to take Alfred away from harm. Promise me he will not be killed."

"...That's our wildest wish." Arthur softened a bit, his voice breaking a little. "But Alfred puts himself in danger because of me. I can only wish I could kill Schrott before Alfred dies trying." He looked down. "I might never be enough to do this," -he looked back at her again- "but I swear I will give myself up just to let Alfred live!"

She paused and pressed against the mirror hardly until it started wobbling. Arthur backed away in surprise and soon discovering that the woman was passing through the mirror. She went through and came to hold the sides of Arthur's face. She whispered, "It was my death wish to have Alfred as the last person I will ever kiss- the time I gave him a part of my magic. However, I had to break it to save his life.

"Take it, Arthur Kirkland. In contrast to the power to recover, I shall hand you the power to decay." She sealed the transfer with a kiss. The whole room lit which led Arthur to close his eyes. In the back of his mind, he heard the woman's last words. 'Along with this, my soul will forever diminish. You will never hear of me again. However, I will haunt you at Alfred's grave.'

Arthur opened his eyes and found himself inside the tree again. He felt his magic towering. It was like the woman's kiss had also unlocked some of Schrott's reserve. It was way more than Arthur ever felt he had. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could not see it, but he could hear the wind howling inside the trunk. It was hot and painful, feeling a soft breeze tattering his very hands. However, he pushed through, and soon the breeze coated his body. He screamed as loud as he was able to-

Before breaking the dried tree and freeing his scorched body.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

"Now I shall kill you with the curse of the Black Joker!"

Schrott launched himself in the air with the help of his wobbling legs. The blue king was unable to move out of the way in time so he could only watch everything as it felt like slowing down. However, a strange magic ball blasted the sorcerer away, leaving the royalties in awe.

"I dare you to touch my King!"

They turned towards his direction and waited for him to leave the smog. The figure walked in pain yet with determination to fight. His clothes were tattered as well as the small hat on his head. His hands were blackened with some of the flesh and bone showing. His neck and chest were reddened with burns as well. His green eyes stared at them with its magical light.

"Arthur," Alfred whispered at the sight of his beloved. He was indeed armed with magic, and with some kind of strange strength at that. Instead of being glad, Alfred could only babble- with an unfamiliar feeling making his heart race.

Schrott groaned and moved about as he pressed his wilted hand against his face. He whispered with a deformed mouth. "Elizia, you whore." He tried to sit up as he scaled the magic aura of the newcomer who's running to his king.

"Alfred!" He kneeled next to him. Arthur took a hold of Alfred's head, soon noticing the black ink patches on his body. "What is that?"

"Doesn't matter. Go!" Alfred moved his head away from Arthur and tried to push him away. "You can't be here! Go!"

"I'm not going anywhere until I kill Schrott," Arthur firmly spoke before getting up to face the melting man. "This time, for sure."

Schrott laughed and sloppily waved an arm. "Ah, you're going to kill me? Aren't you scared of the Black Joker's goo? Are you going to blast me away until I finally come undone? Tell me, Arthur," he smirked, "how far can you go with that kind of power?"

"Enough to rid you from this world." Arthur held his hand out to form another ball of howling wind.

However, Schrott's laughing face somewhat distracted him and everyone else. Soon, the wind wobbled and popped enough to break Arthur's hand in pieces. His short, pained scream was followed by Schrott's laughter. Alfred twitched and watched in horror as he saw Arthur writhe in pain.

"Elizia, Elizia, Elizia!" The sorcerer laughed louder. "Sacrificing the whole world to protect the child she loves the most! The same thing happened three hundred years ago, and now, all their efforts are flushed down into nothingness!" He held his hand out and it seemed to be pulling out a purple aura from inside Arthur's body.

The queen continued to scream, and the other royalties could only stay where they were. They were bewildered yet they knew their actions were futile- without magic to counter Schrott. Alfred suddenly sprung up to embrace Arthur and activated his time magic as if turning back time to pull back what Schrott was taking from his beloved.

"I'm not letting you take Arthur away from me!" he yelled as he fought hard in their tug-of-war.

Schrott was sacrificing the last of his energy to pull as much as he can from Arthur. He did not care if this magic was speeding up his liquidation. Arthur was losing consciousness yet he was trying to take back his essence. His broken hand started to break into pieces and mix with the aura. It was only by then that Alfred realized what was happening.

The sorcerer king was absorbing his power- Arthur's very existence- to strengthen himself. At this rate, Arthur will disappear- and Alfred would not let that happen. He stared at the melting man and his outreached hand. He was going to make a choice between two things that weighed equal in his heart.

_"Lady Elizia?" his young voice echoed in his head. "Are these visions the only thing I can do? Can't I do anything that is actually useful?"_

_"You're powerful, Alfred," the lady answered in her sweet voice. "I can sense a power inside you that even the reddest of queens will be jealous of! Not that because Amebeth and I are doing something to you. Anyway, you know how those heathen Hearts cast their magic, no?"_

_He paused. "As long as I put all of my heart in it, right?" He made a longer pause. "All my heart, right?"_

"Arthur," he whispered to his queen, "promise me you won't hold back even if it means destroying me."

"What are you going to do, Alfred?" Arthur gazed at him with his teary eyes. "Are you planning to-?"

The King of Spades turned to his queen with a bitter smile. It felt like he knew what he was about to do will be a disaster, but if it will buy his love more time, he was willing to pay the price. He whispered, "Like I said before...

"I can never watch you die."

"Alfred!" The queen screamed as the king hopped off the ground and ran towards the melting man.

Everything felt like running slow. Schrott did not know what the king had in mind, but he was surely diving towards a pool of acid. The other royalties were almost holding their breaths as they watched the king move. Arthur could only reach out his other hand as if stopping him. But the male flew as fast as the aura being taken away from him. Alfred grabbed Schrott's remaining body even if it means corroding his own hands.

He smirked at the sorcerer. "You will never hurt Arthur ever again. Also, say goodbye to your precious powers."

Before Schrott could react, Alfred's eyes lit up brightly. As if light exploded from his very eyes, a blinding blue flared where they were. Even a strong gust threw Arthur away from the site, and pushed the remaining royalties at where they were. When the dirt and wind dissipated, they all saw Alfred standing there, healing himself with his time magic.

But he was glaring at his own hands.

"Fool," he whispered. "Locking me up in his own body so I will be restricted." He yelled in all aggression and madness, "Sacrificing his own just to prevent me from taking my power back! What an obnoxious fool!" He calmed down a bit. "No matter, he did gift me with some things I never had anyway." He smirked.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur whispered as he struggled to sit up from rolling.

Alfred turned to him and held out a finger. Only to cock it left and right. "Wrong."

"No." Arthur stood up and cried louder than his screams earlier. "No! You can't be Schrott! Alfred! Please! Wake up!" He then ran towards his love's body. "ALFRED!"

Schrott, who was then inside Alfred's body, ground his teeth and held out a hand to call forth a fireball. He threw it towards the running man to stop him from his tracks. "He's already dead!"

Arthur paused and watched the fire ball come at him. He shielded himself with his arms, only to feel the fireball disappear before it hit him. Schrott twitched as well and formed two more to throw at him. The same thing happened with both.

"What!? How can he be so powerful!?" The sorcerer glared at the queen- before smirking. "I might not be able to hurt you, but it doesn't mean I can't keep you away." He held his hand out and summoned forth the same giant circle in midair. "Come to me, my loyal soldiers! The day has come when WE, the sorcerers, will rule this world again!"

The souls that came out turned into skeleton knights, wobbling towards Arthur. The queen aimed at the ones before him, and they indeed kept him busy. Schrott turned to the royalties who were both alarmed and confused. He called forth summoning circles from wherein roots sprouted and shot towards them- before walking towards them with his sword at hand.

"What's going on!?" Elizabeta screamed as she slashed the roots coming for her.

Feliciano unsheathed his sword and tried to fight, but Ludwig came to cover him. He only cried, "We lost Alfred! His body is now possessed by Schrott!"

"WHAT!?" she replied before being grabbed by a root Roderich cut for her.

"What's the matter? Scared to fight the King of Spades?" Schrott spoke in ridicule as he arrived near them.

Elizabeta tried to attack him, but he only blasted her away with a fire ball. The others tried to fight him as well, but he only took them down easily. Aside from the kings who were somewhat a match for Alfred's abilities. Then again, he was armed with the same spells he was using earlier, having quite a huge advantage over them. Soon, he had everyone tied in the roots.

Schrott turned to see Arthur as the queen burned every skeleton knights around him, enough for him to escape them. He watched the blue queen motioned to run across the valley before looking at the royalties again. He smirked, distorting Alfred's face in pure malice. They were tied so they would not move; every struggle would make the roots tighter. Their mouths were also blocked so they could only scream to themselves.

"Let's see. I guess you used to not need them." He stared at the restored legs and blasted them off with his scorching flame.

"You can heal wounds. I don't like that." He aimed at a Jack's head before summoning a shadow hand to burn it.

"He doesn't know you enough so it's annoying." He gripped at king's sword and threw it to pierce through his chest.

Before he could select again, Lili was able to slip through the thick roots. Schrott only watched her run and stab his chest with a golden dagger. The remaining royalties gasped as they watched the little girl dig a blade deep into the new body.

However, the sorcerer grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. He took the dagger off his chest before scoffing. "I like how you think you can just kill me with a stab wound. Did you forget that I could reverse time?" He looked down at the bloodied blade. "This is never enough."

He tightened the hold on Lili's neck, and the girl started struggling. They could hear one another air the sorcerer words, yet they only tightened the root at their attempts to break free and save them. Arthur was being ambushed by the skeletons on his way so he was indeed being stalled more than once. He could see what was going on, and yet he could not do anything.

"I left the root loose around you thinking you were just a small child." Schrott smirked again. "Beg for your life, little girl. I might spare you."

Lili only glared at him. With her restrained breath, she uttered, "Monster."

Schrott stared at her. Long enough before he popped her head off her shoulders. Their eyes widened, and Francis started struggling hysterically, tightening the roots more than he could take. The sorcerer soon jerked in intense pain coming from his head. He screamed and writhed again, losing control of his spells.

The skeletons stopped moving, letting the queen get as near as he can to the group. The roots loosened so much, and the royalties were able to slip out. Whilst most tend to the bodies, Francis flew to the blue king and stabbed him with his sword in madness. The blade piercing all the way through his back.

"She was a child! Lili was just a child!" The yellow king screamed at the writhing king as he held the blade in place. He felt the blue king stood his ground and took a hold on the other king's sword. Francis watched him tremble, only to see the man dragging the sword sideways as if gutting himself some more. The yellow king paused for a while before whispering, "Alfred?"

Alfred had his eyes closed yet one struggles to open. "L-Look after A-Arthur for me please."

"Alfred!" Arthur called out again as he reached the group. However, he had to catch Kiku's arms who was about to swing his sword to behead the blue king. "Kiku!"

"If we kill him, we could kill Schrott! I admire the sacrifice, King of Spades! You must die now!"

"L-Let him do it, Arthur!"

"I won't!"

"IMBECILES!" Schrott finally got a hold of the body again and forced his aura to push them all back as well as the sword. He hopped away and held on the fatal wound on the body's waist. He ground his teeth. "He forced to exhaust his own magic to have me killed." He backed away towards the skeleton army who suddenly lost their physical bodies. He clawed at his wound and laughed.

"I will not die until I get what I want! I will rule this Land once again!" He held his other hand out, and the spirits held onto him. "For a start, I will get rid of that kingdom which made me suffer the most!" He laughed out as the spirits carried him and transported him through the summoning circle.

Kiku hurled his sword like a javelin towards the circle, but his magic only made it break and disappear. The rain stopped, as well as the wild fire in the place. The fortune teller crashed to his knees and to his elbows before slamming his fist against the ground. He had no words to utter. He could not make them go out.

Arthur and Francis fell on their behinds before looking around the group. Ludwig was just holding a headless body in his arms, while Elizabeta was tending to Roderich's bleeding legs. Ivan dealt with Alfred's sword and Basch's lifeless body. Yao laid Lili's head and body together, crossing her arms on her chest.

"Why aren't they going back, aru?" the blue Jack whispered. "Aren't we supposed to be immortal now that the jokers are dead?"

Arthur was about to speak when he felt Francis get up and sat next to where his queen and his jack lay. He also noticed Kiku drag himself to see what was left with Feliciano. He looked down on his hands. "Is this why Alfred never wanted me to go? If only I hadn't come, Alfred wouldn't have to..."

The queen twitched as he heard a neighing horse at a distance. He was quite sure the horses had fled long ago. He turned to the horizon to see a figure riding a horse staring back at them. Soon, the rider headed straight to them; a few having the attention to spare to her.

"I'm too late." She paused in front of the group. She dismounted her horse and removed her hood. "Arthur, I am very sorry."

Arthur froze at the sight. None else could have known why it was stunning to see this woman. Yao soon recognized her.

"...Lady Britannia?"

…

**End of Chapter 22**

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It got too long. Thank you for reading! Please review! My anon is on! (Multi-kill hurts.)


	23. Acts of Desperation

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia, Cardverse!Hetalia or any character that has copyright. I only own the plot and the dialogues involved. Some references had been used, but they are not fanfics from any author.

**Warning**: In contrast to what I normally do, I will put this in Rating T because of the lack of violence, gore, strong language and mature themes. I hope it stays that way.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

During Arthur's struggle to break free, he was invited by the strange woman back into the Queens' Maze. She opted to give Arthur her remaining power to make sure Alfred wouldn't get killed- which did not happen sadly.

In his attempt to kill Schrott, the sorcerer king knew his powers were unlocked by the strange woman. He tried to dissolve the magic shell, but the blue king jumped at him and locked him inside his own body instead.

Schrott would never be as strong as he was before, but he still acquired Alfred's magic. He tried to kill the rest of the royalties, only to be interrupted by the soul inside him. He then decided to leave and terrorize another place.

With the group racing against Schrott's arrival, they formed a new plan and their resolves. Mothers come to aid.

…

**I am the Queen**

…

The fiery red sunset flared behind her as she rode on her horse. From her concrete home in the Ninth District of Spades, she raced away the moment she felt great magic exploding somewhere. The woman was clad in a thick robe to protect her from the wind and dirt. Her reddish hair had some of its strands flowing with the wind, despite being tucked inside her coat. There were two ravens flying on each of her sides, one had its feathers tainted with red- and the other blue.

"Are you sure it's Arthur?" A voice came from the blue-tinted raven. "It could be Schrott trying to pull off another stunt."

"The last time was feeble. This one is far greater than Schrott's remaining power," the red one cawed back. "No one else can have that kind of dark magic but Arthur."

The horse neighed as it started sliding down quite a steep cliff. It looked at both sides as if looking for the ravens. "He was supposed to be in Clubs, isn't he? How come we have to travel all the way towards the borders of Diamonds and Hearts? Agnus, fly ahead and look for anything suspicious."

"I'll go." The blue raven flew faster and way ahead of them.

The red raven cawed in childish rage before leaving as well. "Your name is not Agnus!"

The horse stopped at a stable plate on the cliff as it peered at the surroundings. Dark clouds gathered faraway, and it felt they were harbingers of devastation. The horse neighed again. "Even if I run in my fastest, do you think we can get there in time?"

"Allistor," the woman patted the side of the horse's face, "it's best for us to arrive whatever happens. Even if we fail to catch Schrott now, we can still do something to stop him. Please be on our way with the speed of light."

"I understand." The horse reared before jumping from plate to plate down the cliff. "Mother."

…

**I am the Queen**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 23: Acts of Desperation**

…

The blue queen gasped a bit as he heard Yao utter his mother's name. He might have missed the fact that she was acquainted to the other royalties of Spades. However, he did not move and only turned away from his mother's gaze. He failed to save his love, and he was quite the reason why Schrott will succeed.

"What are you doing here? And your legs?" Yao asked in complete disbelief. As much as he remembered, Britannia was bedridden and had to push around in a wheelchair. Right now, she presented herself in quite a healthy condition.

Britannia twitched at his question before the horse went to the Jack and neighed loudly next to his ear. The blue Jack jerked at the strange action before looking at the lady again. He did not knew it was a cue to make her ignore him and attend to Arthur instead.

"Arthur, what happened? Where is Schrott? Why is the seal open?" she spoke in an enthralling voice, yet she only received silence in return. She turned to Yao who only shook his head.

"Schrott possessed Alfred- no, Alfred made him do so." Yao came to Arthur's side to help him stand up. "We still don't know why, but it feels like he didn't have much choice. Now, he must be heading to Hearts as his revenge."

The lady brought her hand near her mouth as she bit her lower lip. She looked at Arthur and then to Yao- and to the rest of them. She took a deep breath before starting. "It's going to be painful to hear this right now, but Alfred made a terrible mistake. However, giving Schrott a physical body will give us a chance to hold him in place." She reached out to hold her son's shoulders. "Arthur, you have to go to Hearts now. Do not let his sacrifice be in vain.

"He gave himself up so you would live. And so we could kill Schrott even at the expense of his own body and soul."

"But we're weak." Kiku interrupted them despite grieving over his Jack's body. "Even if we try, we don't have enough strength to rid him off this land. No matter whose body he possesses, it will bear the same result."

The horse twitched and neighed as it felt something fell on his back. Britannia and Yao turned to the direction of the horse, only to find a small body standing on the saddle. The two stared at his young face as he pouted a little.

"Why don't you die trying then? Isn't that what others had done all along?"

Francis, Ludwig, and Kiku turned towards the voice's owner as if it was familiar to them. He was. They all knew that little boy with small wings: his young face, his light eyes, and his rowdy tone of talking.

"Peter?" Kiku asked in disbelief. "We thought you were-"

"Dead? Killed? Vanquished?" Peter hopped off the horse and flew towards the red royalties. "Yeah, I was. It took quite a while before I got my physical body back! That damn sorcerer is going to pay for that!" He descended near the Jack's body. "Anyway, with me around, they won't wake up again." He held his hand out, and red light embraced the neck. The small dots worked on a silhouette until they dispersed after recreating Feliciano's head. He also had Lili's head connected to the body again.

"I can't believe this girl had more guts than you, Queen of Hearts." He looked down at Lili's resting face. "She was forced by the Diamonden Oracles to assume the throne even though I'm not around anymore. She worked hard in the world of adults more than everyone else's had." Peter turned to them again. "In her last moments, she was able to invoke that scary Spadanian king with a single word. Keep up with her efforts, Queen."

Kiku stared at him before standing up in silence. He looked at the Red Joker. "I don't know how you got back, Peter. But if you were here, then you must have seen what happened. It cannot be done."

The joker hopped off again and stayed afloat next to Britannia. "Hey, last living Sister! Tell them how the three of you planned to kill Schrott Fleisch! Maybe by then, he'll understand how this can be helped!" He murmured at the side. "Even though that Gilbert jerk isn't around this time, I know I still have a better solution." He swirled around her. "Tell them!"

The lady was confused as to who that kid was, and why she would divulged such information. The horse came to her and neighed as if shooing the flying kid. Peter flipped in midair and flew further from the lady.

"Hey, look here! I know you have a nasty plan to kill that sorcerer jerk even back when the Crowning ended!" He pointed a finger at her. "But the middle sister didn't have the heart to kill a child she raised herself so she only opted to seal him along with your powers! Then years ago, he broke free from the seal which awakened you three as well! That's when you decided to kill him for real!"

Peter flew around and patted Arthur's head, who jerked away from his action. He started waving his arms frantically in the air. "You said _'we can't kill that thing as incomplete as he is- so we need him to have his powers back before killing him!'_," -his hands pivoted continuously from the wrists- "but Sakuya was like _'the spell you needed will take years of preparation!'_," -he dove to hold Arthur's head- "and you're like _'alright, we'll buy you time to prepare! We'll collect his power inside a magic shell and make him busy looking for it!'_ That's you, by the way!"

"How did you even-?" Britannia almost mouthed without a sound.

Peter flipped again and placed his hands on his hips again. "HAH! I am Peter, the Joker of the Red Suits. I don't look any older, but I am as old as Hearts!" He glared at her. "Sakuya told me everything before she reached Spades. She wanted me to keep tabs on everything that will happen. She knew this sorcerer will bring trouble to the lands, and a great war will devour the peace! She knew the oracles will soon turn a blind eye on the anomalies! She knew one day- the whole Land will hold its breath!

"The only thing she didn't see coming- was her death." He dropped his hands and flew towards Kiku. "Queen of Hearts! We have to get going! Schrott Fleisch is going to get stronger with every sorcerer that he revives from that gate!" He held on his arm and pulled on it. "You didn't just lose three royalties in this war- which purpose was to find him!"

"The" -Roderich started to get up with the help of Elizabeta- "Red Joker is right. We lost a lot of lives in this war. We can't waste any of their sacrifices just because we gave up on fighting the real enemy." He knew he wouldn't be able to stand, but Elizabeta willingly carried him.

"It would be heartbreaking to spend our remaining days in misery, Queen of Hearts." Francis got up as well. "I have seen so many death in my entire life. All of them for the truths they believed in." He smiled at the helpless queen. "As royalties, we should not fall short on faith and morale now that we know what truly is happening."

The yellow king looked at the blue queen's direction. "Confused- and frustrated- and exhausted as we all are, we have no other way but to push through." He closed his eyes and turned to the red queen as he opened them. "Even if we lose, let's have the next generation know that we chose to fight."

Yao stood in silence. He turned to Arthur who was still dejected even though everyone else was getting their resolves. He turned to Ivan who walked towards them. The King of Clubs reached out to pet his head. Arthur jerked away again, gazing at the wounded king's smiling face.

"Ufu, you must be feeling bad about Alfred taking matters in his own hands," -Ivan motioned his hand as if still petting something- "but you must remember that he's not that kind of person. I know he's out there waiting for us. Even though he's strong, he knew and valued help from everyone by the time disaster falls.

"Don't forget that the truce from the Black Suits was his idea, da." He chuckled. "He will get pissed if we don't move now and get there in time."

Ludwig stood up as well and went to pick up his sword. He sheathed it in its case hanging from his side. "Feliciano wanted nothing more but peace. Schrott Fleisch will not have that. We should do what we can to stop him." He turned to the group, looking directly at Arthur. "Alfred Foster Jones did not sacrifice himself to save you alone, Queen of Spades. He did it to keep Schrott from regaining his full potential. I would also say he did it to keep our enemy close and interfere when he feels necessary."

"What are you-?" Arthur muttered, watching Ludwig move again to pick up the other swords from the ground.

"It's funny there is a misconception that Alfred grew soft after all these years, da." Ivan giggled as he received his from the red king. "Arthur, Kiku, listen to me. Alfred is the King of Spades." He sheathed his sword. "He's as cunning and evil as the totality of his kingdom. What he had done could have been just an option if he felt there was nothing to gain. I think he knew how much he can take advantage of the situation, da.

His mind is as strong as his conviction to kill for his desires. He will always take control."

Elizabeta frowned at the trust the three kings were giving the one who lent his power to the enemy. However, she dared not to argue with them. She could only glance at Roderich and the strange lady before asking. "What are we going to do now? Let's say we got to Hearts." She attracted all their gazes. "What's next?"

Peter flew towards her and swirled once. He placed a hand on his chin as if thinking. "The Sisters' plan will never work now since Schrott Fleisch was infinitely locked inside the King of Spades' body. If we can find a way to destroy his soul even in impartial form, we could get rid of that sorcerer bastard."

"There's this secret shrine in the northernmost highlands of Hearts," Britannia suggested. "It was where we buried ourselves with Schrott three hundred years ago. He sacrificed his physical body to have the seal undone. Without a live body, Schrott will never get out."

"Are you asking me to kill Alfred?" Arthur turned to his mother, who only gave him a firm gaze as a response.

She continued without answering the queen, "Queen Sakuya of Hearts, along with three more magic-users, could replicate the seal we did if we chose that course of action. Having a direct descendant of her lineage would make you capable of doing the same, Queen of Hearts."

"But" -Kiku looked away- "my spiritual powers are nothing like my grandmother's. Also, males tend to have lesser capabilities when it comes to our clan's magic. I might not be able to do it."

"Alfred is the son of the Duchess of Tears." Britannia smiled at him in a kind demeanor. "We could use his magic to strengthen yours and everyone else's who will cast the seal. I don't know how much he can give, but he will certainly take control if he is as strong as how you believe him to be."

"Why is no one-?" Arthur muttered. However, he felt the presence of the King of Diamonds beside him, firmly holding his hand.

"Getting the ritual ready will take hours. We must reach Hearts as fast as we can." The strange lady held her out to have the horse press its nose against her palm. "He can only carry three of you at most."

Peter flew towards Britannia and swirled to open up a summoning circle in midair. Everyone else gasped at what he was doing, their faces cluttered with disbelief.

"Why travel on land when we can travel through space and time!" He held his hands out to make it faster and wider. "As the red joker, I am capable of using stronger magic than that Gilbert jerk! I can transport anyone across any destination any day! I also have a lot of tricks under my sleeves!"

Roderich chuckled lightly. "Gilbert played with life and death thrice. Are you saying you can do better?"

Peter froze and started screaming. "No way! We're not allowed to-! That jerk!"

The horse neighed, and the Sister turned to him before stroking at his nose. She whispered to him through telepathy, _"Meet Agnus and Dylan along the way and tell them to scan the entirety of Hearts. We will be monitoring everything that moves until Schrott shows himself."_

_"Take care when you get there, Mother."_ Allistor spoke directly to her mind. _"The oracles of Hearts might be displeased by your return."_

_"I will be able to defend myself if ever."_ She patted his head. _"Remember that my magic is not making you human right now." _She nodded at him._ "Go and find them. They should be close."_

The horse reared and ran off towards the horizon in search of his brothers. Their mother could only watch him run off- and feel pain as she stared into the anxious image of her youngest.

_'But this is no time to be soft. I have to clean up everything Amebeth and Elizia left for the next generation.'_ She turned away and watched the gate stabilize. _'Forgive me, my son.'_

With the portal completed, Peter went through first. Britannia went with Kiku and Ludwig- followed by the other royalties. Arthur and Francis stayed last since the Queen of Spades refused to move. One step towards that gate would only mean his resolve to kill the one he loves the most.

"Alfred is selfish and mean, isn't he?" Francis whispered, earning Arthur's attention. "He did not have enough courage and conviction to let you go- so he decided to pass it on to you."

"Are you going to kill Alfred?"

"I am going to kill Schrott." Francis held his hand tighter. "Whether Alfred lives or not is definitely up to him. As royalties, we have to do what we have to in order to protect the lives of our constituents from all possible dangers." He turned to Arthur as he let go of the queen's hand. "As lovers, it's our duty to support whatever our other halves decided.

"Jeanne was the one who raised Diamonds into a kingdom strong enough to withstand the war. She died in a deciding battle" -he chuckled- "which made Alfred choose between watching Diamonds burn to the ground and letting Clubs pillage the entire kingdom. I did not approve of anything she wanted and envisioned, yet I trust in her instincts and belief to better the entire kingdom." He started walking off from the queen. "You should trust Alfred as much as you love him, Arthur. You chose to wrap your heart around a mad man."

The Queen of Spades stared at the back of the man and at the gate. Alfred would be waiting on the other side of the battlefield if ever. Even though his body was being commanded by Schrott, it would not be a sin to believe he would still be there to help them out. Also, he must be very scared right now- even though it would not show. Alfred would always tremble upon realizing Arthur might not be with him at all. He saw Alfred as a child more than anything else.

"It would be a shame if his 'mother' wouldn't come to rescue him."

He needed to get his 'child' back. Arthur smiled at his own silliness for holding himself back. He ran towards the King of Diamonds and grabbed his sleeve. The queen dragged him through the gate the moment it started crumbling.

With all the royalties on a journey thru space and time, the valley in which everything could have ended remained silent. The bodies of the deceased were left for they could not take them to where they would go. To a battle where bodies would be destroyed as bad as their hopes. In silence, the four corpses lay.

Until the black goo started moving- reforming a silhouette.

"So that red piece of trash is back, too."

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**End of Chapter 23**

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Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon is on! AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


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